Vampire kiss
by Vanity Storm
Summary: this is my first ever fanfic read and tell me what you think this also has spoilers for the forth book,fifth and sixth! and is my version of what happends next PLS REVIEW! rated t just in case! :contains lots of characters! very OC * V.S * COMPLETE!:D
1. Vampire Kiss

**This is my first ever story pls review i need some ideas thanks **

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They had been tracking down dusk for a month now and had basically found nothing besides infected heaps of them. "Maybe we should just give up" Valkyrie suggested

"Skulduggery won't accept a job half done." Fletcher replied

"Humph" Valkyrie sighed and slumped her shoulders

"Hey where's your happy face gone" Fletcher said as he came over and gave her a peck on the check

"Get lost" she said brushing his face away. Fletcher moved to the other side of the room and started to fiddle with his hair he could feel the tension between them this isn't what boyfriends and girlfriends are meant to act like he thought."I'm going to go and find something to do" he said moving towards the door as he reached it Calean approached from the other side. Calean stepped aside letting Fletcher go through "she anit in a good mood mate" Fletcher said just before he teleported

"Fletcher shut up" Valkyrie yelled as she turned around and saw who was actually standing there So calm and quiet "Calean" she said turning a light shade of pink "what are you doing here have you found anything?"

"No" came his calm reply.

Fletcher had left just before Valkyrie had chucked another hissy fit. She was always so worked up these days and never let him play round with her. Now she was with Calean... humph that stupid vampire he'd never be right for her.

"If you haven't found anything then why are you here" Valkyrie asked getting worked up again

"Valkyrie, calm down you're stressed out" Calean said his voice was soft but it carried all the way over to her. "please just sit down I have something I need to tell you" he gestured to a chair and Valkyrie went over and sat down she was puzzled had something terrible happened or was Calean going to tell her that his cage had been destroyed again. Once she was sitting Calean took a chair and sat in front of her. She looked up and caught his eye just before he looked away she thought she saw something in them but... he was a vampire they couldn't she looked into her lap again.

"Valkyrie I feel like such a little kid saying this but I...... I love you" Calean said Valkyrie's head snapped up and she stared at him "please stop staring at me" he said. She turned away shocked what the heck was he thinking. She felt his gaze on her and turned he caught her eye and she couldn't look away those eyes they were so cool and calm and so beautiful he leaned in and she landed in they were an inch apart when she stopped and said

"Wait you're a vampire but you can't what if you were to like bite me or something?"

"I don't want to hurt you" he said she nodded and they leaded in again until their noses where touching. Calean lifted his hand and slid it between her hair and neck gently and slowly pulling her forward util his lips touched hers. Valkyrie couldn't get over the fact that it was a vampire that her lips were touching she felt Calean kiss her and she kissed him back while thousands of butterflies were doing summersaults inside her stomach. She was confused wasn't she mean to be in love with Fletcher and be his girlfriend? She broke apart from Calean and. "are you okay" he asked looking at her worriedly

"Yeah.... why?"

"You look really pale and as if you're about to be sick... I haven't hurt you have I?" he asked quickly getting worried that he had bitten her when he said he wouldn't

"No" she replied" it just me and Fletcher were together well at least where meant to be and you... well..."

"Shh don't worry about Fletcher he'll never know" he said pulling her towards him again and pressing his lips on hers. She was the first person he had ever kissed and had a crush on why should Fletcher be the one to ruin it?

Fletcher was getting bored he decided that Calean would have left by now and that Valkyrie would have calmed down by now he teleported tot eh corridor outside the room where Valkyrie was he peeked round the door to check she was there and his jaw dropped Calean and Valkyrie were both there and talking he could hear Valkyire saying 'it just me and Fletcher were together well at least where meant to be and you... well' and then Calean said something like ' don't worry about Fletcher he'll never know' and pulled her towards him and kissed her. What! Fletcher thought. He could see Calean was like fully kissing her all over her mouth and she was responding to him with the same sort of thing. How long have they been together is this why Valkyrie seems so distant from me? He asked himself I'll just have to catch them red handed. He step into the door way and cleared his throat and Valkyrie and Calean broke apart.

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**okay well i guess that was okay and i know theres probably some spelling mistakes but ahh well pls review and i hope to put something up soon**

**Jenny Dably **

**I live to turn aurthors world right side up!!! hehehehehe Alyss mainwaring (my bff)**


	2. The Plunge

**:( i didn't get any reviews besides my bff's thanks Alyss!!! pls review guys and i hope you like this chapter !!!!**

"Oh god" Valkyrie said she looked over to the door where Fletcher was standing he looked truly and literally heartbroken standing slumped and sagged.

"Fletch please it wasn't meant to look how it seemed I..........." Valkyrie started

"Val shut it stop making excuses for you and your boyfriend" Fletcher butted in

"My boyfriend you think he's my boyfriend get real you're my boyfriend and have been for like the past three months!" she yelled at him getting flustered

"sure that's why whenever I try to be nice and kiss you or anything like that you always get so pissed off and yell and tell me to get lost you call that boyfriend girlfriend do you ??? well I don't and I won't anymore !" fetcher finished yelling the word more and turned and stomped out into the corridor he waited for a second or two while Valkyrie said after him

"But fletch you know I love you" and then teleported.

Valkyrie crumpled to the floor she felt so bad why oh why had she gone and kissed Calean she knew that she loved Fletcher but no she didn't even try to stop herself she had been so stupid and now she had lost one of the people who meant the most to her. One of the people who cared for her and loved her she felt Calean's hand on her shoulder but didn't look up she couldn't bare it she needed to get out she needed to run! She jumped up so suddenly that she knocked over the two chairs that she and Calean had been sitting on. She didn't stop to pick them up she just kept running out the door through the corridor and down the hall way to the front door of the building. She opened it and stumbled out in to the street it was sunny outside but it was stone cold inside her heart. She turned left and ran all the way to a canary coloured motor bike. Yes it was hers but no she didn't get to chose the colour but any way it was only until her Bentley arrived I didn't really look that bad she hoped on it and started it up. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove down to the highway there she followed it to haggard. She took the exit and started zooming down the streets she knew so well she didn't know why or how but something to her to go tithe beach. She pulled up next to the knee high wood fence and hoped off her bike she looked at the water it was calm and clear she wouldn't mind losing herself in it for a while she pulled off her helmet and opened the little back pack she had she took out her swimmers and went to the change rooms where she pulled off her clothes and put the swimmers on.

She dived into the still water and breathed out as she felt the coolness surround her and comfort her she swam for how long she didn't know but she knew it was a long time of blissfulness. Lying on the water Valkyrie thought to herself Fletcher was being stupid she wasn't angry all the time she wasn't pissed off she was just depressed her parents were going to have a baby and it would be all for nothing because Darquesse was coming and she believed it would be soon. She regretted not being there with her parents she had spent barley any time with them these past few years and now she regretted it she wanted to forget everything the pain and the sadness of barley seeing her parents the heartbreak of her sudden break up with Fletcher the confusion over her and Calean. She wanted to leave it all behind. She let he self go under the water she swam deeper and when she felt like she needed air she kept herself down. Valkyrie could feel her lungs tensing there was no more oxygen she needed more air but she didn't want to go back above the surface there wasn't anything for her there. He vision was fading now she was seeing blurry figures. The last thing she felt was a hand grab her wrist and bring her back above the water in an instant then everything was gone.

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**remeber Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**thanks **

**Jenny Dably**

**I live to turn authors worlds right side up**  
**(sorry about spelling errors**)


	3. Heaven is Hell

**well alyss here is the next chapter you asked me for hope it leaves you hanging for more....**

**okay guys when you read this don't panick there will be another chapter (Hopefully) sorry about spelling mistakes and i'd love to give you a run through of the chapter but i don't want to spoil it but any way enjoy!! and pls review.**

Valkyrie woke to a rattling noise just a bit to her left. She didn't know where she was or how she gotten here. She opened her eyes but shut them quickly again there was a light just above her head and it was shining right down on top of her. Fighting back the patterns that were begining to show behind her eyelids she opened them again slightly she was in a room a familiar room so familiar she thought it was a dream if not for the rattling noise to her left . She turned her head and what she saw made her mouth hang open. Her dead Uncle Gordon Edgley standing at his kitchen sinks scrubbing a way at a bunch of dishes.

"Gordon is that you?" she asked the dead figure of her uncle. It turned to look at her smiling

"Why yes Steph and how's me old girl doing ha not getting into any trouble I hope, it's been a long time since I've seen you!"

"It has only been three months" Valkyrie said

"Oh really hmm short term memory loss ahh well no matter" replied her uncle

There was something about this whole situation that made Valkyrie feel strange. She was in her dead uncle's kitchen talking to him, but he had been dead for at least over three years how could this be possible. It couldn't be the echo Gordon for she was the only one who knew about him. She ventured to ask her uncle what she was doing here but the reply she got didn't make her feel any better.

"You're dead" her uncle said turning to look at her again "saw the whole thing you died on the beach surrounded b y divers, they had pulled you out of the sea. Which reminds me what the bloody hell where you doing in there in the first place?"

"Well whatever I was doing in there in the first place I succeeded" mumbled Valkyrie looking over to the clock on the wall.

"WHAT!!! You were trying to kill yourself? Why Steph what's wrong?"

She didn't want to tell her uncle the real reasons why she had killed herself for. Reasons like that her parents would die if she stayed alive, that her heat had just been torn apart and that she couldn't handle the stress of a vampire having a crush on her or that her new sibling would come into a world that wouldn't last very long and she would barley know her new sibling because she spent like no time with her parents any more. But instead she came up with the answer of

"There was a murderous lunatic chasing after me who was going to kill me so I just decided I would do him a favour and spare him from getting his hands dirty." Her uncle stared at her for a few moments blankly then suddenly he snapped back to life

"Well welcome to heaven.... it's not that bad up here I mean there isn't really anything to do and the only channel here is earth channel see. "He switched the TV that was sitting on the bench on a aerial view of haggard came on

"You can pick places you'd like to go to and zoom in on a person that's how I knew you had died "her uncle said. He slid the remote across the bench over to Valkyrie. She picked it. Who did she want to see her parents, Fletcher, Calean, and Tanith. She pressed the zoom button until she was far in enough to read the street signs and started directing herself towards her house.

"There's an easier way you know" her uncle said moving over and pressing a button that said search. He typed in Melissa Edgley and instantly up came the image of Valkyrie's mother hanging the washing. Valkyrie took the remote back and watched silently as her mother hung out the clothes then went back inside the house. To cook dinner probably. She pressed the search button and typed in Desmond Edgley the image of her dad slumped over his desk at work came up on the screen she watched as he r got together his papers and left totally unaware that his daughter no longer lived in his world anymore. She wonder what her parents would think when the police come to the door to tell them their daughter Stephanie edgily is dead because she had drowned on the beach and then her reflection would get home and there would be all this chaos. She stop think about that and pressed the search button again but this time she typed in Fletcher's name an image of a slumped figure came up the figure was sitting in some alley hunched over as though it had no purpose. Valkyrie's heart lurched. How could she have done that to him she was totally mucked up inside but she would never again be able to get back with him because she was dead.

"Gordon you don't mind if I turn on the one in the lounge room and play around with it do you?"

"No of course not go ahead, oh but Stephanie don't try typing in anyone who's dead okay it ah stuffs up the whole system."

There was a pause in her uncle's sentence. A pause that Valkyrie had come to know as a something you don't need to know pause. There was something about searching up someone who was dead that her uncle wouldn't tell her.

She spent what she thought was a night using the earth channel zooming in on anyone that popped into her head.

At last she became tired. But I shouldn't get tried anymore because I'm not living anymore. She was puzzled she looked at the TV screen surely it wouldn't hurt to look he self up would it?

She pressed the search button and typed in Stephanie Edgley almost instantly up came a picture of her sitting in a room watching a TV screen she zoomed out and stoped this wasn't her uncle house this wasn't even heaven this was a factory building of some sort in Dublin. She searched up her uncle Gordon Edgley just to make sure she was right and the screen went all fuzzy like there was no reception. This wasn't heaven and that man was not her uncle and she wasn't anything near dead.

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**well what did you think was it any good review to tell me your ideas**

**thanks**

**Jenny Dalby**

******I live to turn authors worlds right side up**  



	4. Family Duel

**hey guys sorry it took so long i had a bit of trouble coming up with stuff exzpecially names!! whooo well heres the next chapter in my story and pls review to tell me what you think!! thanks and thanks to the people that did review for my prvious chapters oh and id like to say happy birthday alyss!!!**

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Valkyrie had been staring at the blank TV screen for over an hour now. The door to the lounge room opened and her uncle's head peeped round

"Steph I have something to show you" he called out. Valkyrie turned around and got up off the couch she walked over to the door where the man who was impostering her dead uncle stood. He opened it fully and beckoned her through into the kitchen "follow me" he said walking over to the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. When she reached the top she found her uncle standing in front of a door next to the bathroom.

"I have made you a room to stay in because now you live here in heaven have a look." He gestured her to the door she reached the knob and twisted she pushed it open inside was the coolest room ever it wasn't big but it was so awesome there were posters of her favourite music bands and favourite movies as well as a whole wall dedicated to the biggest book shelf ever full of all her favourite books including the books her uncle had written. She walked over to the bed and sat on it. It was so comfy. She looked over to her uncle and smiled

"Thank you" she said

"No problem it's my pleasure" her uncle replied "I'll leave you to enjoy it on your own then shall I?"

"Yes see you later" she called after him as he left. She surveyed her room again and her eyes landed on a phone that was on the bed side table. Hmmm that's strange she leant over the bed and pick up the receiver, there was a dial tone. Valkyrie paused maybe she should just check if it did work she dialled skulduggery's number.

"Hello" answered skulduggery's voice

"Skulduggery is that you?" Valkyrie whispered into the microphone.

"Of course it's me silly who'd you think it was Santa clause, where are you anyway Val?"

"I don't know" she replied

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?" skulduggery yelled back

"Shhh I've been kid napped, I want you to meet me at the factory just off the port okay in say half an hour." That should give her enough time to finish off that imposter and get out of here she decided.

"Okay then, Valkyrie... take care" he had hung up. 'Take care' what did he mean. Valkyrie thought he would have told her to stay out and he'd come for her but this time obviously not?

She put down the phone and got up off the bed she went out to the stairs and went down. Her uncle's imposter was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

"Do you like your room steph?"

"Yeah thanks Gordon, hey can I go out and explore "heaven" for a bit?" she asked hoping that she'd get off without a fight.

"Yeah okay but let me first show you some magic I've learned!" he said smiling

"Okay then, go ahead." Valkyrie replied a bit uneasy.

"Okay the best way to show you what I've learned is to duel so would you like to?" he asked

"Um but aren't we like dead already?"She said getting even more uneasy

"You're not just yet anyway" the man yelled lunging for her throat but Valkyrie was prepared she step out his way and then when he came at her again she threw a fire ball at him it caught his clothes and they flared up. The man realised what was happening he smiled and waved his hand over the flames immediately they vanished. It then hit Valkyrie that this guy was the famous flame tamer and elemental 'firehand Reagan' she turned round once whilst pulling from her pocket in her coat that was on top of her swimmers her necromancer ring. She slipped it onto her finger and felt the power in her fingertips. The man lunged forward one last time and Valkyrie whipped her hand at him the shadows moved so quickly and smoothly up to meet the face of Reagan they wrapped around him and squeezed a few seconds later he fell to the floor unconscious.

Valkyrie ran to the door and pulled it open she ran down the corridor and saw the front door she wrenched it open and saw the familiar Bentley parked outside by the foot path with a smartly dressed 'man' leaning against the drivers door. She walked over and stopped in front of the man.

"Skulduggery your just in time did you just get here?" she asked him

"No, I've been here for 20 minutes. I was just about to come in there looking for you." He retorted back

"I'm not a baby you know, I'm 15!" she yelled back

"I know and you've grown so much" he mumbled back

"Pardon" snapped Valkyrie "what did you say"

"Are you 15 already I thought you were 12" he said sarcastically

"Shut up" Valkyrie said shoving him and hopping in the car. Skulduggery hopped into the driver's seat, started the engine and drove off.

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**thanks guys review and tell me what you think!!!ohh and if you can think of a better name for firehand Reagan then pls share your ideas!!!**

**Jenny Dalby i live to trun author worlds right side up!!**


	5. Vanity Storm and Vintage Sketch

**Hey guys sorry for not updating but yeah schools back so busy busy busy!!! :( well here is the next instalment and pls!!!! review!!!!!! ohh and for your information yes i dooooo own bothe Vanity Storm and Vintage Sketch!!! so yeah anyways hope to update as sooon as possible ASAP!!!**

**but pls review and tell me what you think and if you have any ideas then pls feel free to tell me!!:)**

**well enjoy!!!! hopefully**

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They drove up cemetery road and in to skulduggery's driveway. He parked the car and then got out and waited for Valkyrie to get out. She un-buckled herself and opened the door. Stepped out and walked to the front door. Skulduggery locks the car and went to unlock the front door. But just as he was putting his key in the lock the door knob turned and opened.

There stood to almost identical girls the only difference was their eye colour. One had fixing green eyes and the other had clam violet eyes. The girl with green eyes spoke first. "Hello Skulduggery, Valkyrie we are here to ask you for help please may we talk inside." Valkyrie stared at the two almost clones and goggled they were so pretty.

"Ahh... y....yeah sure" skulduggery stuttered and beckoned them through he wasn't pleased that these two had been waiting in his house for him but there was probably something serious they need help for. The twins sat on one of the couches in the front lounge room. When they were all sitting the green eyed girl spoke up again.

"Sorry for entering you house but my sister and I are in serious danger" she gestured to her sister "this is Vintage Sketch and I am Vanity Storm" Skulduggery gasped.

"You're our new case" he blurted out.

"But what help do you need exactly al it said in the profile was that you guys wer.........................."

"SHHHHHHHH" Vanity hissed "please let us do the talking and no questions till later if you don't mind!"

"Oh okay then go ahead "skulduggery said leaning back into the couch.

"Well" started Vanity "me and Vintage well our parents died a couple of years ago and then al of a sudden.... *sniff*..."

"Do you want me to continue?" vintage asked

Vanity nodded so vintage continued "well some people started coming after us wanting some letter or something like that because there was some hidden object or location that they wanted. And the letter supposedly had the clue to finding it. So we ran away but... they came after... us and.... well....."

Vanity gasped she had been silently crying until now when she was sobbing uncontrollably "we.....we.... didn't........ Know well............ she didn't ................know we shouldn't ..................have hid with her she...e didn't ... need ....... to ....help....... *sob sob *"

Vintage looked over at skulduggery and said "our friend was murdered because of us we need your help please we don't know who they are or who there working for the only information we have it that one of the men in their group can become other people."

"*GASP* is he a famous elemental called fire-hand Reagan?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"Well let's just say we've met before!" Valkyrie scowled

"Wait that's not the kidnapper is it?" Skullduggery asked

"Yes" Came Valkyrie's answer.

"My sister and I have been hiding out for a while but we are here because we hear you are detectives and we believe that you can find out what these people want." Vintage walked over and kneeled in front of Skullduggery took his hand and peered into his eyes."But there's one condition protect us please or they'll kill us…… please protect us!"

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**Hope you all liked it and pls review!!!!!!! well thanks**

**Jenny Dalby AKA Vanity Storm!!!!!**

**OKAY GUYS IM GOING TO CHANGE MY NAME PRETTY SOON TO VANITY STORM SO TELL YOUR FRINDS WHO ARE PLANING TO READ THIS THAT IT'S NO LONGER BY THE FAMOUS!!! HEHE JENNY DALBY KKKKKKK!!! GUD!!!**


	6. SHE BELIEVED

**SORRY SORRY SORRY i know i havve like written anything in like years( not literally) don't think thats spelt right**

**well anyways heres the nest instalment it just came to me as a matter of a fact in=ve been thinking about wrting something new for a while but didn't knwo what to write so yeah now i have so enjoy oh and yes! assessments are over ( i think) any ways guess what that means**

**no one?**

**okay!**

**updates will be up sooner hope to do one next week or maybe on the week end!**

**okay this chapter is meant to be titled**

**_S[HE] BE [LI]EV[ED] and no i do not own that little phrase i whish i did it's soooo clever i want to make one_**

**_pls READ AND REVIEW! _**

**_OHH AND SORRY FOR IT BEING SHORT ! HEHEHE :)_**

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She woke in a cold sweat the screams still fresh in her head. Shuddering she sat up and looked around the room it wasn't as big as the front lounge room but it was big enough for her. Finally plucking up the courage to go out of the room Vanity got up and put on her coat. She crossed to the door and pulled it open. The corridor was lit with a dime glow from the one light bulb above her head. Closing the door silently so as not to disturb the other inhabitants of skulduggery's house for that night she walk towards the end of the corridor stopping at the second last door. She knocked twice and then turned the knob entering and then shutting the door behind her. That was when she looked up into the face of her sister. The same scared face she had worn moments before when she had woken.

"He's gone isn't he" Vintage asked fearing the worst.

"I believe so" Vanity whispered back to her sister.

"But…b...But he promised … he said that even if……..he…wouldn't leave" Vintage sank to the ground sobbing into her shirt.

"Hey not everyone can keep a promise" Vanity said lowering herself beside her shuddering sister and placing an arm round her. "He could still be here we just have to believe!"

"No…. I won't haven't you realised 'he lied and she believed' remember what he told us when we meet?" vintage took out a piece of paper from one of her pockets and held it out in her trembling hands

Vanity looked at the crumpled shaking paper and read what was written in blue pen.

_S [HE] BE [LI] EV[ED]_

Under Neath this scrawl was another more recent message saying:

_He lied but only to protect the she who believed._

Vanity gasped and pointed this out to her sister Vintage looked at it. She stopped crying for a moment and then gasped as well saying

"It's gone"

"what" Vanity snatched back the paper and stared at where the writing had been a second a ago but Vintage had been telling the truth it had gone disappeared in fact there wasn't a mark let no rubbing out or anything . She put down her hand still holding the paper and turned to her sister.

"You know what this means" she whispered afraid of being over heard

"we need to leave" Vintage whispered back and then looked back down at the paper putting her hand over her mouth and shaking Vanity's arm Vanity lifted the paper and stared at the writing that was starting to appeared on the page before her.

_She is stuck and doesn't know what to believe he lied but still lives._

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_well do i still have my author touch or have i totally failed hopefully not i thnk that chapter went pretty good hey you know what i'll probably be able to write another in two days ! i have a day off yay i love you school a staff day! yippe!_

_**any ways yes my name is now VANITY! sooooo**_

_**thanks for reading and if you've gotten down this far your a ledgend!really you are**_

_**Vanity Storm!**_


	7. Preparations and Promises

**well well well im back after a while that is... yeah sorry... :) hehehehehehehehehehe**

**hey you can't exactly get angry at me i mean no one revewed sooo there! hahahaha i have something against you ! for those who know me in person thanks for you opinions **

**welll here is the next chapter read and REVIEW yeaah well hope you like it!**

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Valkyrie woke on a bright and sunny Saturday morning which was quite unusual because that night it had thunder stormed nonstop. She slipped her feet into her slippers and went down stairs.

Her Father was in the kitchen cooking breakfast; he smiled as she came in. Valkyrie walk over to the fridge opened the door and stared at it half expecting something to jump out into her hand. Her Father walk across from the stove and pushed the door shut.

"oh no you don't you're going to eat some real food today none of those breakfast drinks okay" ruffling up her hair he said "oh and your aunt is coming over today" his face fell and he went back to the stove. Valkyrie went out in to the dining room and sat there for a while thinking. She had decided she'd spend some time with her parents this weekend and give her reflection a break.

She looked around the room the shelves covering the walls had been emptied of all the magazines and her dads work papers and had been replaced with baby toys and baby books, even the photo her parents had taken of her when she was a week old had been put back up. The whole house was changing. She wondered if the house had looked like this when she was going to be born.

"Steph, brekkies ready, come and get it." He father called from the kitchen.

She got up and went back into the kitchen. As she was coming back out with her food her mother came down holding Valkyrie's phone  
"Steph your phones ringing are you going to pick it up?"

"Oh yep chuck it over"

Melissa handed it over to her daughter and Valkyrie picked it up

"Hello" she said into the microphone

"Val it's me Tanith um we sort of need help my motor cycle broke down and where like in the middle of nowhere, could you pick us up please?"

"Oh um yeah sure where are you exactly?" Valkyrie asked

"Westminster near the factories." Tanith's reply came

"Oh okay be right there. See you soon"

"Thanks Val." Tanith hung up first so then Valkyrie did also.

Slipping it into her pocket she ran up the stairs and into her room closing the door behind her. First she rummaged through her clothes trying to find her one outfit she wore most of the time. Her black clothes but then forfeited it and decided to throw on a top and jeans. As she was opening the door to run back down stairs, she heard a faint pop. Heart racing she turned slowly and to her joy she saw it was the person she thought it had been. She ran across the room and flung her arms around him and started sobbing for happiness into his shoulder.

Fletcher was in a state of shock he was literally stunned he had expected Valkyrie to start yelling at him instead of this. "Ahh... Stephanie..." he didn't get to finish because just then Valkyrie broke the embrace still sobbing and managed to get out "Don't you dare call me that fletch it isn't fair!"

"Right Valkyrie ...looks ...I'm sorry about the thing with Calean it's just ….well…"

"Shhhh" Valkyrie put a finger to his lips "I don't want to be with him."

"I know but I think we can't be together anymore … me and you … we well it won't work if you get what I mean." Fletcher said uneasily

Valkyrie's head shot up "but fletch I love you and you love me don't you so what does it matter I don't love Calean It was all a mistake please understand." She pleaded

Fletcher took hold of Valkyrie's hand "okay but promise me that you will try to be a bit happier about you and I okay."

"Yeah... but….." Valkyrie didn't get to finish her protest because when she opened her mouth fletchers hand slipped behind her neck and pulled her towards him covering her mouth with his.

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**yeah great way to finish that chapter well hope you liked it i've been working on it for a while hey does anyone out there know how i can create a new book like you know how this is in the skulduggery pleasant book well what if i want to create a new book how do i go about it?**

**it'd be great if someone could tell me thanks**

**and remember REVIEW!**  
**Vanity Storm**

**(theres a storm comin)**

**lolicuss( my invention btw it's copyrighted)**


	8. Dreams and Reality

Don't know if i really have any fans left but if i do then here is another chapter sorry it took so long but i just didn't have the time so yeah enjoy and this on is much longer than usual

Vanity Storm

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After picking Tanith and Ghastly up from Westminster Valkyrie decided she'd drop by her uncle's old house. Walking up the steps she rummaged round in her pocket for the keys finding them she slipped them into the lock turning and then stepped back as the door opened. On the floor in front of her was a letter the writing that was scrawled across the front read Miss Valkyrie Cain. She bent down and picked the letter up moving into the living room she placed her keys on the coffee table and plonked down onto the couch before ripping open the letter.

The inside of the letter went as follows:

_Miss Cain, _

_I believe we haven't met as of yet but I still know a great deal about you. in yours and the skeleton skulduggery's care are two Girls whom are acquainted with me I ask that you do not reveal to them that I have made contact with you but that you take care of them and make sure that no harm comes their way. Of course your life and that of the skeletons may come into danger but that is an unfortunate problem that can't be avoided. To fill in the background information of how I am acquainted with Vanity Storm and Vintage sketch is this. When these two girls where 12 so about 4 years ago I met them at a park they were talking in hushed voices about something that I have only come to know recently. We became very good friends from then on and when their parents were….. Well brutally murdered shall we put it I was there for them? I helped them escaped we all mean a lot to each other and I couldn't bear to leave them after their experience. You may or may not understand what pain they went through watching their parents being killed in front of them and not be able to do anything about it. _

Valkyrie stopped reading and gasped tears running down her face sobbing she wiped them away and read on.

_So Miss Cain I ask that you take care of them because they believe that I'm dead and I would like it to remain that way. So do not tell them anything of this or I shall have to let something slip Darquesse. _

_Signed _

_Darien Sneer_

Valkyrie stood for a moment still sobbing and walked into the kitchen and turned the water on. She splashed some on her face her shoulders starting to settle. Grabbing a tea towel she wiped her face and felt for a moment relieved and scared at the same time. But then she felt someone's comforting arms snake round her waist, felt his head on her shoulder and heard his cool calm was in her ear "Val what's wrong I pop in her and your crying you eyes out, what's up hmm?" she turned her head away from him but he kissed her neck over and over again making her feel better. Why shouldn't she tell him who she was all she had to say was _'Fletcher do you know who I am I'm the end of the world._' No it would be so much easier not to. Fletcher kissed her neck until his lips found her cheek then she turned her head a little and he kissed her on the lips. He turned her round so that she was facing him and kissed her again. They were up against the sink Valkyrie with her hands round fletcher's neck and him with his hands round her waist. She broke apart "Fletcher, wouldn't the couch be more comfortable?"

"Oh yeah sorry right" he said back realising that the kitchen bench was pretty hard. They blinked and where on the couch in a heart beat. Valkyrie wrapped her arms round fletchers neck sighing as she kissed him again. Fletcher chuckled and then said "I'll be right back."

He popped out and Valkyrie shivered she hadn't realised until know that it was pretty cold inside the house. Fletcher pop back onto the couch next to her and placed a blanket over her then he leaned over and kissed her again moving his hands gently round her neck pulling her closer until she was almost on top of him. They lay on the couching kissing for a while until Valkyrie stopped and spoke saying "I think I'll go up to bed I'm pretty tired."

She rose from the couch but was pulled down again by Fletcher "why don't you just sleep here?" he said

She yawned "okay" and pulled the blanket up to her chin and lay down in a few minutes she was asleep. Fletcher watched as she slept thinking to himself how beautiful she was he remembered the first time they'd met he'd been so full of himself then but now he had the girl of his dreams and nothing could make him happier. He was just about to nod off when he hear Valkyrie cry out he sat bolt upright and looked over to her she was tossing and turning violently muttering and then came a cry again

"No mum dad run I can't stop it run!" she tossed lashing out then stopped for a moment then screamed. her scream was of pain she kicked about screaming whilst Fletcher tried to wake scared that she was being attacked by some unseen force

"No I will not" she yelled

"you can't make me Darquesse I don't want to be Darquesse" she screamed again and kicked out hitting Fletcher in the stomach he doubled over gasping for air. When he had recovered enough to move, he got up went over to the trashing Valkyrie and touched her forehead in an instant she was awake breathing fast he stared into her eyes and saw horror flash there for a moment and then it was gone and replaced with fear and weariness as she burst in to tears.

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whooot whooooooo fletcher and valkyrie ahhhh such a sweet couple oh and skulduggery pleasant fans ! gwuess what ( THE W IS MEANT TO BE THERE) any ways gwess what the fifth book (Skulduggery Pleasant Mortal Coil ) comes out on the 2nd of september soooooo line up early and get the book but don't spoil it just yet!

hope you liked the chapter and REVIEW! ABOUT HERE! yeah welll bye

Vanity Storm

_theres a storm coming _hehehehehehehehe **lolicuss please note that the word lolicuss is copyrighted and belongs to me! thats right me! not you!**

**bye !**


	9. The Skeletons Living Room

**well hello my faithful followers ( if there are still any) well any way if there are then here is the long awaited next installment of my story okay the lowdown on this chapter is something happens between skulduggery and a very pretty female... she lives in an appartment building... well thats all im giving away i don't know if the two of them will go any where but i wanted to create some special bond before the knife comes down on her when skulduggery finds out what she did to his wife and child. **

**well anyway way if you don't like it then don't read it and if you do id love to hear from you!**

**enjoy!**

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He had called back up, but didn't realise it would be just one person. He was glad none the less that that person was at least china sorrows. She he figured at least knew how to fight. So when china finally did arrive at his house to help, her hair perfectly done, clothes perfectly picked out to suit the occasion he was just thankful he was still alive to interrogate her later. Seeing skulduggery in a bit of muck she quickened her pace not wanting to miss out on some fresh fighting. She slipped smoothly out of her jacket letting it fall gracefully to the ground and stepped forward. Skulduggery's attacker looked up and in an instant fell in love with the women he had never meet but heard much about.

"China, you are much more beautiful than your file pictures shows you, it just doesn't do you justice my sweet heart." He sighed

"Such a shame" china spat back "but I'm afraid Regan that no justice will be shown to you either" stepping forward she tapped the various markings on her forearms. A bright blue flash flew out towards Regan and skulduggery and shot them off their feet and into the wall. Being just bones and no flesh skulduggery was the first to jump up. He looked down at Regan and smirked.

"Ha justice, good one china" he said turning back to where china stood.

"Why thank you skulduggery, I'll take that as a…." She didn't get to finish because at that very moment Regan shot a full stream of fire towards her. Her clothes caught alight screaming and yelling curses in his direction china dropped to the floor and rolled over and over. She had almost put all of them out when a jet of water fell on top of her, steam rose from her body and she looked up grumpily.

"Thanks lot skulduggery" she grumbled

"No problem china my pleasure. Oh and thank you for arriving exactly when I asked you to." He said sarcastically cocking his head to the left amused

"Well not my fault I had to change." She protested but then gave up when she saw his tilted head and sighed. "So why was this guy after you anyway?"

"He's part of our new case, he has been chasing after some kids trying to find them, wants to get something of theirs. So obviously he figured that Valkyrie and I would be protecting these two and came after us. No doubt he'll be after Valkyrie soon if we don't get rid of him." He turned his head and gestured to the crumpled heap on the floor it began to stir. Skulduggery prepared himself for a fight. But after a few moons escaped regan's lips he turned back around. Just one of the two mistakes that would be made that evening. A blast of air hit his back sending him flying head first into the wall. He collapsed to the ground unconscious.

China had put up a protective shield but it hadn't been big enough to cover skulduggery. She watched helplessly as he flew towards the wall cracking his head on it before crumbling to the ground out cold. She shot a red blast into Regan and he withered in front of her falling to the ground and jerking about on the floor. Next she shot a yellow stream of energy that would have killed any normal person. But she figured that Regan was probably a bit stronger than any normal person. Finally she flung her hands up in front of her and let go a jet of green light right into his middle. He screamed crouching on the ground and when she stopped he lay there whimpering. When he got up he had a scared look in his eyes he watched china bring her arms up but just before she could touch any more markings he ran. China figured there wouldn't be much point in perusing him so she flopped to the ground exhausted, then she remembered her unconscious friend lying crumpled in a heap next to wall. Slowly walking over she knelt down beside him and shook his shoulders. Nothing he was out cold, she would have to call her assistant and get them to kenspeckles. She figured she'd do that soon just after she had a little rest. Drifting into sleep china only vaguely knew what she was doing.

Skulduggery groaned and lifted his arm to his head. It hurt and badly. He eye sight was slowly coming back to him, the light was bright and hurt but there was really nothing he would be able to do about it except turn it off. So he decided might as well it was probably so where around midnight anyway time to meditate. He started getting up but something was weighing down on his waist he looked down and saw an arm. Not any arm either it was a perfectly scratch free and mark free arm, an arm that reminded him of a very similar arm. His wife had had scratch free and mark free ones almost like this one. He lost himself for a moment back in time but suddenly he remembered where he was. Following the rest of the arm he came to the body it was connected to. He paused confused. China. He was lying on his floor china sleeping on her stomach beside him with her arm strewn across his waist. What the hell had happened here? He moved a bit too suddenly and this brought china back to the real world. She sprang awake in an instant and looked up to see skulduggery looking down at her his head cocked at a questioning angle, and then she noticed her arm. She quickly snatched it back off him and sat up.

"Ahh yeah sorry about that" she said uneasily "sort of fell asleep you know and must of tossed and turned a bit" she was Turing red and she knew it. How stupid she was to have fallen asleep next to Skulduggery of all people and then putting her arm on him. Oh this is so embarrassing she thought.

"So what happened did I get knocked out or something? Where's Regan?" Skulduggery asked looking around and avoiding her face.

Grateful for the change of subject and some privacy form his sight. China began to calm down and she explained the whole thing to skulduggery.

Half an hour later she was getting ready to leave when skulduggery poked his head out from the hall way.

"Oh and china, what happened tonight no one else needs to find out okay." He said looking at her. Blushing furiously she smiled back and said "yes defiantly no one needs to know and I'm… sorry."

Skulduggery waved the apology away and called out behind her as she walked out the door "don't bother apologising it wasn't your fault just make sure it doesn't happen again." She nodded and got into the car which quickly sped away and breathed a sigh of relief.

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**well wadya think hmmm? did you like it?**

**oh and if any one is listening at the moment and you are someone who has been following this story since the begining then yuor a legend really you are and i love having you around oh and pls review it's been quite lonley ( mainly cause i hadn't updated for like millions of days so no one had anything to review to) but please have heart and review.**

**thanks Vanity storm!**


	10. Darien Sneer

**hello people well im back here is another chapter finally we are introduced to Darien Sneer.!**

**well hoep you enjoy! pretty short chapter here**

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The dreams still haunted her sleep as they did for her sister. The screams of the innocent. The brutal force behind the killings and the blinding excruciating pain. Vintage did not know how many times over the last four years she had relived those few minutes. Her parents had stood there the pain so obvious in their eyes. Even with their dying breath they had whispered a prayer for their twin children for protection from whatever harm would befall them. Vintage remembered what her mother had said moments before the attack. "My baby girl, you will always be special to me, I will always be here with you, and I will never leave you." The last statement had brought tears to her eyes. She whipped them away and attempted to get back to sleep just like her sister was doing across the hall way.

Vanity sat on her bed she felt exhausted but for some reason she still couldn't fall asleep. She yawned for what seemed the one hundredth time that evening. She gathered it was probably somewhere near midnight but what more could she do than just sit here. Lying back on her pillow she stared at the ceiling and wasn't aware of the tiny pebbles that were tapping against the window outside but the noise finally reached her she looked up and saw a face in the window. Frightened she pulled the quilt over her head and hid shivering.

"Vanity it's me." A voice said. It calmed her down and stopped her shivering. Slowly she lifted the cover and saw the face in the window a hand waved. She squinted her eyes and the face became clearer. _Darien _she thought _he's finally back. _She scrambled off the bed and went to move to the window but tripped rather Ungracefully falling bam smack on the floor. She moaned and then got up again Untangled him self from the quilt and staggered over to the window. She lifted it and a gush of wind swept in bringing the rain and sweet scent of the night. Darien scrambled over the ledge and fell into the room. Shutting the window Vanity bent down and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" she asked

"Yes, yes, I'm …fine" he looked into her eyes for a moment and smiled the same piercing green that he remembered.

"Oh Vanity it's so good to see you again." She smiled and then he pulled her into an embrace. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity. Vanity could have stayed there forever in his arms how she had missed him while he was gone. She stood there drinking in his warmth. She felt something slide down her cheek and reached up to wipe it away. Darien felt her movement and he drew her back to see her face.

"Vanity… your crying… what's the matter?"

"Darien it's …. Well… it haunts me all the time and it's just too much. And well now your back they'll find you and hunt you down … they'll kill you please you have to stay away no one must know your back please…." He placed a finger on her lips and whispered

"shh, it's okay" hugging her again his hand stroked her hair. She began sobbing into his shoulder. He could smell a scent a sweet fruity scent that drove him crazy. He loved both of them as much as the other but that could become a problem in the future.

"When Amelia helped us she knew what was in store we tried to tell her not to but she didn't listen said we were being stupid. Please Darien I don't want that to happen to you. I keep regretting it… I should have died not her."

"What Vanity, no that's being absurd you shouldn't have died instead. Can't you see that?" He said in exasperation

"But I wish I was dead. These people they will never stop hunting us down. Never let us forget. Do you know how many times the memory plague my dreams? I can't fall asleep most of time… I… can't…. it was so bad one time ….. Vintage had to help me I tried to….. Well… I…tried to… rope….pole…neck..." she didn't finished the sobs and shudders had taken hold again but Darien guessed as much she had tried to commit suicide.

"Oh vanity." He held her close as the sobs died down and then led her over to her bed they sat down and he cradled her head to his chest. After a while she spoke again

"The skeleton and the girl have offered to help us I don't want to cause any one harm." He lifted her face and looked into her eyes once more.

"You won't I promise." he leant down and lightly touched her lips with his. "Now time for bed "he said. He tucked her in and went to go but she took his hand.

"Please stay with me, I can't fall asleep otherwise."

He sighed "all right then" and he clambered in next to her. Soon they were both fast asleep.

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**well guys what did you think review! **


	11. Alone Once Again

** hello people here is the next instalment **

**hope you enjoy and please review**

**:) **

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Fletcher draped his arm across Valkyrie's shoulders.

"Val stop please don't cry it's me Fletcher, tell me what's wrong" Valkyrie buried her head in his chest and sobbed even harder.

"Hush, Val please." Fletcher pleaded he took Valkyrie's head in his arms he wiped away her tears. Her sobs subsided. And she looked into his eyes

Memory's over her previous thoughts came back to her as she stared into his eyes. _'Fletcher do you know who I am I'm the end of the world._' It was all she had to say one sentence that was all. Yeah one sentence to death is more like it she thought. Well she couldn't hide it forever.

"Fletcher, I…..I've known you for two years okay." He nodded "and well…" she paused

"Val, you're not trying to tell me that ... you …don't want to be together anymore?" he shuddered at the thought and looked hurt.

"No Fletcher, it's not that. It's just you know how skullduggery…." She trailed off again. She didn't know how to tell him she looked up again to see his face. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide.

"What?" she asked

"You're not oh geez Val you…..Skul… you're not pregnant are you?" he stuttered.

"No…. what no definitely not" she began laughing for the first time in many months a pure cheerful laughter that rang around the room. It was contagious. Fletcher began laughing as well. How stupid of me he thought. They rolled around on the fall and after five minutes stopped clutching their sides panting. Fletcher rolled on top of Valkyrie and kissed her, his lips covering hers. She rolled him over so that she was on top of him. Then just when they were about to break apart Fletcher rolled them over again and again until they bumped into the couch. Fletcher helped Valkyrie up and hugged her.

"Now tell me what's wrong" he whispered into her ear

Her face fell she closed her eyes and spoke "Fletcher listen you know how the world ends?"

"Yes, Darquesse. You were yelling in your dream that you were." She put a finger to his lips

"I'm Darquesse" she said and crumpled to the ground tears begging to fall.

"It's me …" she sobbed "I'm going to destroy the world, my …parents…..dead." the sobs racked her body. Fletcher knelt beside her

"Val, it can't be true… it's not possible…. But" Fletcher was speech less

"But its true Fletcher I'm Darquesse….I'm going to kill everyone."

"No" he stood up backing away from her horrified "no it's not possible… not you please not you..." and the he teleported to where Valkyrie didn't know she was alone she groaned and clutched her stomch lying in a ball on the floor. She was alone this is what it will feel like once she kills every one she thought silence, stillness, darkness. She had had enough she clambered t her feet staggering to the kitchen. She opened one of the draws and too out a knife. If only she thought I had a gun it would be so much quicker. She walked to the hall way and out of the front door it was raining outside but that didn't matter it just made what she was going to do seem easier. She stumbled towards the edge of the woods that lined her Uncle Gordon's estate. She passes between the trees not really aware of where she was going. She felt afraid it consumed her and she wanted to get away. She began to run. She ran and ran the knife in her hand she almost fell stumbling on a tree root but kept going. She began to become tired and her mine became exhausted she wasn't concentrating the trees whipped past a d the ground came up to meet her. She fell, the hand holding the knife went to her chest and she crashed to the ground the hilt protruding out of her body. The woods became silent as ever and the wind began to blow howling like a wounded animal.

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**hello again thanks for reading and please review **

**i know it seems that their are alot of people trying to kill them selves basically but trust me there just really up set! and no noone will end up dying from suicide (wait can't exactly promise that) i hope that no one does end up actually killing themselves.**

**review :)**


	12. To Love Again

**well well well heres the next chapter if you don't like chinduggery skina ( aka skulduggery 3 china) **

**then i suggest you don't read unless you really want to well hope you enjoy**

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Regan was seeking revenge the fight with the skeleton was meant to have been between just the two of them but that stupid and terribly beautiful women had come and ruined it all. He wanted to go find skulduggery again so he did.

Sneaking out in the cold he poked his head through one of the front windows and looked in there the skeleton was sitting in one of his many armchairs. Regan could see the skeletons jaw moving. He leant in closer and heard what the skulduggery was saying.

"So she falls asleep next to you with her arm over your waist what the bloody hell are supposed to think. Skulduggery put his façade up and began to pace the floor. He threw his hands up saying "bloody hell china why'd you have to go and do that." and then collapsed on the lounge.  
What Regan thought the woman had fallen asleep next to the skeleton that now has flesh and skin? Now this was interesting very interesting. Regan waved his hand over his body concentrating when the motion was complete he stood there taller than he had been and a lot thinner. Regan the now skulduggery imposter walked over to a very worn looking car and hoped in. time to go give china a visit he joked and sped away.

He arrived hoped out of the car and raced up the steps. Opened the door to the library and there she was standing by a shelf fondly stroking the binds of books. He walked over to her and she turned and greeted him with slight smile "hello skulduggery. It's nice to see your façade working properly now."

"China, I have something important to tell you. I love you." He said his breathing very uneven.

"Right …, skulduggery I thought you could hold in these fake feelings better than most but seriously." She said turning back but his hand cupped her face brought it closer to him. "No china seriously I do." He lent down and put his lips to her mouth kissing her. She jumped in surprise as the weakness flooded her and she crashed in to him. They were sprawled on the floor there mouths locked together. China took a breath for air and then remembered where they were. Her library in front of everyone probably. She looked around but luckily no one had seen them. Hauling skulduggery up her led him to her apartment room and shoved him though the door. Shutting it behind her she mashed her face into his and kissed him again they fell back into one of the arm chairs Regan's legs which were disguised as skulduggery's were up on one arm rest his head on another. China lay on top of him breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry I don't know what came over me." She said turning bright red and standing up.

"Its okay" said the fake skulduggery "I just wanted to tell you how I felt. I guess I'll leave you now." He stood up and strode out of the room leaving china standing flustered in the doorway.

Regan exited the library and removed his disguise. Just in time because at that movement the real skulduggery came round the corner and walked to the library door. Regan smirked skulduggery didn't know what he was in for.

Skulduggery opened the library door and walked through he looked down all the rows of shelves but didn't find china anywhere. She would probably be in her apartment. He walked over to the door and was about to turn the handle but it opened and china stepped out bumping into him she looked up " oh skulduggery" she said and pulled his face into hers. Skulduggery wrenched his jaw free from her lips and stared at her "what the bloody hell was that for?"

"But skulduggery you were here a minute ago and we were kissing on my chair and on the floor out… you don't remember?" she asked

"I did nothing of the sort." Skulduggery yelled at her.

"But you came in here you said that you loved me you said that…." She looked up at his face and saw the hatred etched there she burst into tears and fell to the floor sobbing. A very UN china thing to do she thought to herself but she couldn't stop it.

"Hey don't start baling your eyes out. Look, come in here and we will talk about it okay. Skulduggery hauled her up off the floor and pulled her over to her bed. They sat down.

"Now tell me what happened. "Skulduggery said

"You… came in here and told me… that...that you love …me and then you kissed me." China stuttered.

"But I didn't" skulduggery said creasing his forehead in frustration. "I just came here now to tell you that… well..."

"Yes you came to tell me what?" china asked her voice growing higher with curiosity

"Well … were friends right… I mean you... well the other night with that incident well it made me think and…. I realise that yeah I … well … china I like you." skulduggery stopped talking and looked into Chinas eyes. She leaned in closer to him and subconsciously he leaned over towards her.

"Well a bit more than just friends "he said before Chinas lips covered his and they kissed leaning back on her bed.

A faint pop broke them apart and they looked up red faced and flustered into the astonished face of Fletcher. Fletcher's mouth was hanging open in shock he was just about to say something when skulduggery stood up fist raised. "Don't say anything or this fist will be through your face."

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**ahhh trust flethcer to come in and interupt ahh well the bit where fletcher pops in is after valkyrie has told him that shes darquesse in "Alone Once Again."**

**well im going to go upload the next chapter now! hehe yep it's done already!**


	13. Knives and Vampires

**okay next chapter sorry its a bit short **

**remember read and review**

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Calean ran through the trees his mind was gone again. He could taste her blood it was driving him insane. He stopped sniffed the air and howled it was stronger she was near but not near enough to stop his insane obsession. His imagination ran wild if only she would be his they could have such a good life together_. _He stopped again and sniffed the air.

His skin was crawling. He needed to keep some control. He was worried he was heading towards her uncle's house he wouldn't be able to stop an attack on her if he didn't change. He ran faster and faster excited and worried at the same timehe wanted her for himself he would make her a brutal beauty she would be his and his only.

He rounded a corner and the woods came into view. Thrashing his way past branches. Then the sent grew strong too strong she was here. He looked around and finally caught sight of her she was laying on the floor in a pool of blood. _No_ he thought she_ needed to live._ He lifted her up her head resting on his leg her skin was soft and slightly warm.

He held her to his chest. Valkyrie had been hurt and he would hunt down who ever had hurt her and wouldn't rest until were dead. Picking her up he walked all the way back to the house and went inside. He placed her on the lounge and sat staring at her.

He didn't dare remove the knife from her chest for fear of wanting to drink her blood or hurting her further. He needed to get away otherwise he would harm her and if he did he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He leant down and kissed her cold lips. Relishing the feeling it gave him in the bottom of his stomach. He then quickly slipped out in to the cool midday air.

He thought about what he should do and the only solution that he came up with was to call one of her companions. He went back inside the house and rummaged through Valkyrie coat finding her phone he flipped it open and skimmed down her contact list the first familiar name he found was Tanith. Perfect the other woman he thought just perfect. He pressed dial and waited.

Tantih was cleaning her room a big achievement she thought considering she didn't do it very often. She was just about to put her book shelf back into its place when her phone rang. She picked it up saw it Valkyrie number and answered.

"Yo Val what's up."

"It's not val." Calean answered "its Calean I've found Valkyrie she's hurt."

"What you stay away from her vampire don't you dare touch her!" Tanith yelled into the phone

"I said she's hurt badly!" Calean yelled back _maybe the other woman wasn't the perfect choice_ he thought

"Wait badly like how badly?"

"Like a knife though her chest badly"

"Holy… is she conscious?" Tanith jumped up pulling on a different top

"I don't think so" Calean answered

"Is she breathing?" Tantih asked pulling her coat over the top of her

"Yes" he said

_Thank god_ Tanith thought "Okay I'll be there in a sec... oh and Calean?"

"Yes" came his answer

"Don't do anything okay or you will seriously regret it" Tanith said and she hung up.

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**hello again thanks for reaqding and remember read and review oh sorry about any spelling mistakes though out this whole story :) **


	14. Troubled Childhood

**hello people heres the next upload for my story! the words written in italics are just some of dariens memories**

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Darien woke just as the rays of sunlight began to peek through the blind. He sighed. He had had a good night's sleep for the first time in many months. That he reflected was how long he had been running. He would never tell the twins but the enemy had finally hunted him down and were after him. After all they had been through together it could all end in a matter of months. He really needed to keep moving. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. Slowly memories came back to him.

_The door opened slightly and he heard his parent's voices_

"_Emily if you don't hurry up and get a good well paying job then I'm leaving!" _

"_Paul… honey please I've tried"_

"_What you have not you think magic is everything you think if we have magic we don't need to work but your wrong"_

"_I don't think that"_

"_Yes you do, you sit at home every day talking with Simon and then when it comes time for him to go to school you take him but you stand outside the gate all day and leave the magic to do your work."_

_"But I've tried there's no jobs for me….nothing…."_

"_You haven't bothered… you are stupid you expect me to keep this place running."_

"_No it's just"_

"_Forget it I'm leaving I'm sick of this"_

_Paul pulled the door open and saw his son standing there he sneered at him and turned round to look at his wife once more "Emily…keep Simon safe… one day… never mind"_

The memory faded he shuddered his father had walked out plenty of times before and always returned but it seemed that that time it was all over. Darien looked over to where vanity was sleeping soundly. His head on one arm and the other out stretched. Her eyes were closed peacefully. She looked like an angel. He leant down and carefully pushes back the hair on her cheek and kissed it. Vanity stirred smiled and then lay still once again.

_It was a frosty morning and Simon walked along the foot path kicking up the leaves. Winter was near. He walked towards the park. When he arrived he found that the swings were occupied already by two identical pretty girls. He walked over to them and they stopped talking and looked up at him. These girls were more than just pretty they were angelic there features so symmetrical except for their eyes. One had piercing green. The other had startling violet._

"_Can we help you?" The one with green eyes spoke_

_Darien shook his head and said "no…no... Um …I was just wondering could... I have a swing…_

"_Sure here have mine." The green eyed one said and then turned to the other "come on Vin I think it's time to move on."_

"_What Vity but we just got here they couldn't of found us already." The girl called Vin said _

"_Oh please don't go because of me" Simon blurted out_

"_Well…. if you insist... my name's Vanity by the way."_

"_And mine is Vintage." Vintage butted in _

"_Wow you guys have such awesome names" the two of them blushed "mines Darien." He said figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to tell strangers his given name._

"_Pleased to meet you." The girls said in unison._

At least meeting the twins had been a pleasant memory unlike many of the others.

Simon had kept the name Darien as his own from then on main to hide his identity but also for more personal reasons. He felt tired he would need to be on the move again soon Regan would probably know where he was by now. Darien also wondered if Regan knew who the boy he was hunting was Darien sure knew who Regan was or who he had been.

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**soooo most of you are probably confused right now so i will try to make everything understandable**

**Dariens given name (the name he was given by his parents _Emily and Paul_ is Simon Green his taken name is darien sneer**

**can any one guess who regan is ? DON'T SPOIL IT JUST YET!**

**oh and review!about here (maybe)**

**Vanity Storm!**


	15. You Can Never Trust A Vampire

**Next chapter is here !**

**thank you to the people who reviewed! they were great!**

**well hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Fletchers face was red, what had he just walked in on. _Whoa Skulduggery and china and I was worried he would take Valkyrie from me._

"Ah...um sorry about ... that." He stuttered

"Don't worry about it Fletcher." China smiled "oh and Skulduggery dear put that fist down before you brake something."

"Yes chin… what… you just called me dear!" Skulduggery yelled

"Yes … as a matter of a fact I... did …. Hmmm... Dear … do you mind if I call you dear, Skulduggery?"

"Yes I do" growled Skulduggery "I do a lot!"

"Oh okay then I won't call you dear… at least not when other people are around" she said stifling a laugh at Skulduggery's furious face

"Speaking of other people Fletcher what is the matter."

Fletcher looked up felt the familiar urge to confess his false undying love for China but fought it.

" Something is wrong with Valkyrie."

Skulduggery' s head snapped up and in a second he was standing adjusting his coat.

"What happened?" he said urgently

"She's not herself… she keeps… she…." Fletcher couldn't form the words that were churning in his brain it was just to up setting for him.

"Get to the point boy!" yelled Skulduggery and Fletcher backed away fear and hurt etched on his face. China put her hand on Skulduggery's arm

"Shh Skulduggery you're scaring him be patient." She said

"Right sorry fetcher continue"

"Well Val said she was … marquises" he almost whispered the name before the tears began to roll down his cheeks he then continued. "She was saying how she kills everyone how it wasn't worth stay round how she was going to eventually end the world. Skulduggery she needs help. She needs help." His face suddenly light up "oh my god I left…. She's alone… I left… great what will she think I left her alone … she's probably done something bad to herself. I have to get back." China and Skulduggery both knew what fetcher meant when he said she's probably done something to the self but it was confirmed when Skulduggery's phone began to vibrate. He took it out of his pocket and answered.

"Hello"

"Skulduggery, where are you?" it was Tanith

"I'm at Chinas Fletcher is here."

"Oh then you don't know about Val?" asked Tanith

"No what's happened.

"She stabbed herself." There was short paused as the news sunk in then Skulduggery roared

"What!"

"Calean says he found her in the woods lying face down with the knife in her chest." Tanith said

"Calean what is he doing round Valkyrie uncles place?" Skulduggery yelled into the phone.

"I don't know doesn't worry he's not going to do anything believe me I told him if he tried…"

Skulduggery cut her off "you can never trust a vampire." And he hung up

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**well hello did you like it? hope you did please review and tell me what you think!**

**Vanity Storm!**


	16. Your Safe Now

** YOU DIDN'T TELL ME:( ALLL THIS TIME! you never told me i was spelling it wrong ! why!**

**if you are wondering what all the screaming ( big bold capitals) words are for then look at this!**

**Calean THERE right there its right there can you see it and you never told me! (i spelt it wrong soooooo many times) its meant to be Caelan ! ohhhhh what is the world coming to. please Derek Landy don't punish me i wasn't aware ( and no one ever told me *scowls* grr)**

**hello peoplezzzzz! hows life? hope your is good mines was pretty good until i found out about the spelling mistake! **

**anyways here is the next instalment its earlier than antisapated! if your happy about that then thank **

**Gest() for the best review ever!**

**any ways heres the next chapter hope you like it **

**:)**

* * *

She lay there cold, unmoving, still and pale. Her blood soaked her jacket becoming a deep crimson. Her hair was plastered to her face and her arms draped over the lounge. Caelan stared at her he needed her. He wanted her. He loved her. He always had ever since their first meeting the feeling had been there. He just hadn't realised what it was but he knew now, he knew they were destined for each other. And know seeing her like this it made him feel alone, empty, lost. He remembered their conversation from a few months previously.

"_You truly didn't know how I felt?" he had said_

"_I really and truly didn't. I'm sorry if you think I did." She said her eyes turning sorrowful_

"_I see." was all he could make himself say_

_She had stepped back saying "and now I feel awful"_

"_Don't" he had said he wanted to hug her to just wrap his arms around her and hold her and tell her it wasn't her fault._

_And then she said "I can't help it. Do you …..I hope you don't think I was leading you on, or anything"_

_He had shaken his head saying "of course not this is my fault"_

_And he was surprised to hear her then say "it's no one's fault, Caelan." _His heart jumped whenever she spoke his name to hear it coming from her lips gave him a sense of completion. But there was one more thing until the completion was complete, she needed to be his.

He looked over to her frozen body. He felt something stir deep inside him. He felt a growl creeping up from his throat. He watched her slow and jarred breathing _she needed to live_ it was simple if she didn't live he would die she needed to live and there was only one way to do it. He removed the knife from her chest. Caelan then lent down over Valkyrie and kiss her. Her lips were cold and UN moving. He broke apart from her and she stirred he then whispered in her ear.

"Sorry." He then swiftly he brushed the hair away from her neck showing a bare skin and then sunk his fangs into her flesh. Half of his brain was screaming him to stop telling him it was a bad idea that when the skeleton found out what he had done he would be hunted down and killed. But the other half was rejoicing. He had longed for her blood for so long ever since she had made him taste it and know that he finally had it again he was in heaven. Nothing tasted as good as this and he reasoned _he would only drink enough to sustain her_. He sat there for a while lying on top of her his mouth to her neck.

After a while he sat up his clothes where covered in her blood. He was crazy insane he needed more. He pulled her towards him and once again sunk his teeth into her. For a few minutes nothing appended but then Valkyrie body began to jerk. Her eyes flew open and her mouth was wide in a silent scream. She could feel the pain of both the wound in her chest and the holes in her neck where some person was sucking her blood out of her. She craned her neck to look at the face and almost passed out Caelan_ what but… no…_ with her little remaining strength she lifted her arms and tried to push him away from her. He fought against it but eventually her came away snarling. She looked at him blood seeping from his mouth… her blood. She was horrified what had he done?

She tried to get up and move away but Caelan growled and pinned her arms down. She lay on the couch with Calean over her holding her down. She struggled but Caelan barely noticed. All he was interested in was the blood; the blood was all that mattered. He leant down and his lips brushed her neck where the holes were and his tongue licked them. The air hit his wet saliva on Valkyrie's neck making the pain even more excruciating stinging her flesh. She screamed and kicked but Caelan simply just put his hand over her mouth. She then lashed out with her free arm but it didn't seem to make a difference he still sank his teeth into her again. She screamed Caelan had lost it he truly had. The beast was out and had taken over. Her throat began to hurt almost as bad as her wound but she still continued screaming until she heard the door be thrust open and a gun fire and then Calean came crashing down. A few seconds passed before he was ripped off her by skulduggery. He threw Caelan to the other side of the room and then sat down quickly.

"Are you okay Valkyire?" he asked urgently. She was too shocked to answer

"Val? Val? … Bloody hell answer me" he yelled she focused on his face his head cocked at worried angle and burst into tears.

Skulduggery scooped her body up and held her. She shuddered and tears dropped on to his suit but he didn't care she was alive that's all that mattered.

"Shh Valkyrie its okay…. I'm here… your safe now."

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**poor poor Caelan i don't know how Valkyries ever going to like him again:( i spelt it right!:) **

**oh and peoples review but don't be to mean ! (: i have feelings to! :)**

**Vanity Storm **

**(run for cover the ulimate storm is coming) hehehehehehehehehehe :) lol:) :) ~clown (C) copyrighted by me!**


	17. Okay But I Think I Already Did

**and first with a big thank you to you for reviewing !**

**THANK YOU **

**and second a little notice! **

**there is a really good book coming out today infact well came out today rangers apprentice! BOOK 10 good book you guys should read it (totally different story line genre and such but great read many people who read skulduggery who i know have read this series to)**

**and now enogh from me and her it is the next enstalment ( love that word)**

**i"f i approve of him, and like the cut of his jib, we may even adjourn to my study for brany and cigars"**

**"_you don't have a study"_**

**" I mean obviously, the down stairs toilet"**

**ahh desmond you are such a comical idiot (no offense) and i love your character sooo harlious ( even though sometime quite dry) **

**ahh well here it is i will now adjourn to my library and then eventually to my sleeping chamber **

**good night **

**bon nuit**

* * *

Kensepeckle grouse was just about to sit down with his cup of tea when the door to his magical science facility was bust open and there stood the slim and terrifying figure of the skeleton detective. Kenspeckle was just about to make a rude comment when he noticed blood dripping on the floor. That's strange he thought but skulduggery's a skeleton, and that was when his eyes caught sight of the bundle in skulduggery's arms at first he thought it was a blanket soaked in blood but then he saw that the blanket had a distinct human shape and was moving ever so slightly rising and falling like jarred breathing.

He rushed over fear spreading over him like wild fire _Valkyrie… not by the detective's side… not by his side… but in his arms. _"No, this isn't real, she's not, that's not… god skulduggery, what the hell happened this time?"

"Vampire" skulduggery managed to get out through his gritted teeth. He staggered over to one of the beds and placed the damaged body of Valkyrie down on it. He unwrapped the blanket and there she lay covered in blood. He heard a gasp and turned around Clarabelle stood there hand over her mouth.

"Eww she looks disgusting." She wrinkled her nose "I'm lucky I'm not her, lucky I don't work with him." She jabbed her finger in skulduggery's direction laughed and walked off telling her how lucky she was. Skulduggery looked back to Valkyrie.

"What have I done" he said

Kenspeckle cleared his throat "excuse me skulduggery, but I really think you need to leave now so I can get to work."

Skulduggery took one last look at his companion sighed and left the room.

Kenspeckle peered down over Valkyrie and sighed when was she going to learn skulduggery was dangerous she shouldn't be round him, he really was trouble. He quickly set to work cleaning Valkyire's body and then adding healing mixture to her chest wound. He then sewed it up with his dissolving stitches. He stood back to admire his work and then decided to start work on the two bite marks in her neck. He began mixing chemical sand concoctions until he had the right cure for the vampire infecting. He smeared it over her and bandaged it up. He then sat down on the bed next to her. He had fixed Valkyrie up multiple times and everything had worked fine but this time it felt different. He didn't think everything was fine there was something wrong about it. He had worked on unconscious patients before but working on an unconscious Valkyrie was unsettling and strange. He decided she should wake up. He took a vile from the cupboard and injected it into her arm in an instant Valkyrie was awake. She sat up and looked around.

"Skulduggery?" She said puzzled

"He's out side" Kenspeckle said

"Oh Kenspeckle, thank you for fixing me."

" well if you learned you lesson the first time you came in here then I wouldn't still be fixing you would I?" he said sternly

"Right" Valkyrie said a bit puzzled she got up off the bed and went out into the corridor to find skulduggery with his head in his hands, shoulders sagged and looking as glum and as sad as ever.

Valkyire's insides lurched she walked over to him and rested her arm on his shoulder.

"Hey" she said, skulduggery almost jumped, he quickly stood and embraced Valkyrie in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh god Val I thought i'd lost you, thank god your okay thank god." He pulled apart and looked into her eyes cocked his head at a sad angle and almost whispered " I'm sorry" before he hugged her again.

"Skull you don't need to say sorry, it wasn't your fault and thank god that you can just in the nick of time like always. Oh and you do realise that that was the first time you ever called me Val?" she said eyebrows raised in skulduggery's direction

He broke apart once again and said " actually no it isn't I called you Val twice today not including that time which would then make three."

"Whatever" she rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder

"So what do you want to do now before all the others arrive?" He asked

"Umm not quite sure yet, but I know what I want to do after."

"And what would that be?" skulduggery asked he head cocked in a curious way

"Skulduggery, don't get mad. But I want to go and talk to Caelan."

"What" roared Skulduggery "but he almost just killed you … I won't let you…. Why… you don't know if he'll do it again... he probably will you know… he really is insane … I should kill him just to be on the safe side." Valkyrie butted into skulduggery's babbling and said

"You're not going to kill him okay and I want to talk to him to find out why he did it okay"

"He's crazy, insane and thinks he loves you simple as that, why can't I kill him?"

"Because I'm not going to let you okay."

"Okay…" he paused looked at her and then sheepishly said "but I think I already did."

* * *

**ooooooooo cliffy has returned !**

**lalalalalala this is a pretty good song hmmm lalalalala**

**well you know what to do next review and the adjourn to my study for some some brandy and cigars and we might even add in a little conversation about knitting patterns!**

**REVIEW!**


	18. No One in Particular?

**hello and welcome to my study... cough cough down stairs toileet **

**please enjoy the whisky and cigars if you would like more then REVIEW! yeah so enjoy!**

* * *

Tanith was driving towards ghastly's. It was raining, Ireland and weather she thought, though England wasn't much better. She pulled up to the curb and hopped off her bike. She ran out and furiously rapped on the door. It opened to a pale, scarred face, ghastly

"Quick Val's in trouble grab what you need and come." Tainth blurted out

"What… but… I…." ghastly stuttered

"Just grab anything we need to hurry" she said she was about to turn when she heard a faint pop above the rain. Fletcher stood next to ghastly and held out his hand.

"No time to waste hey." He said smiling Tanith took his hand and ghastly gripped Fletchers shoulder.

It felt like blinking but a painful blinking Tanith's stomach flipped and churned. She held on with one hand and had the other over her mouth. They appeared in the corridor of Kenspeckle's magical science facility. There they were skulduggery and Valkyrie arguing over something.

"How could you have killed him?" Valkyrie said

"I don't know I shot him." Said skulduggery

"What you shot him!" yelled Valkyrie

Valkyrie face was pale, her hands shaking she looked up saw Tanith and smiled. Tanith ran over to her fell to the ground kneeling and hugged her.

"Oh my ….. Val…. God I thought you were dead." Tanith said tears springing from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm not dead yet." Valkyrie said she hugged Tanith tightly and then they broke apart. Tanith stood up and moved aside ghastly came in to view.

"Ah…" he scratched his head and had a puzzled look on his face. " I have no idea what's happening butt yeah thank god you're alive… I think... that's …what…" Valkyrie laughed stood up and embraced him

Ghastly stood there like a stunned mullet before he finally wrapped his arms around Valkyrie and hugged her back.

They broke apart and ghastly went to go stand beside Tanith.

Fletcher stood back throughout all of this but now Valkyrie was looking at him her facial expression was neutral but her eyes showed all the emotion she was shielding. She ran up to him and flung her arms around him squeezing him tightly. He stumbled and grabbed on to her as they crashed to the ground. Valkyrie laughed but it caught in her throat and turned in to a sob. Fletcher looked down at her she was crying tears cascading down her face nonstop. He took her head in his hands and wiped away the tears. She looked into his eyes.

"I thought I had lost you." Fletcher whispered he pulled her head gently towards him and kissed her. The kiss was forceful as through it were the last time they would ever kiss again. And Valkyrie felt the meaning of Fletchers words in it.

Skulduggery cleared his throat and spoke "Fletcher would please stop rolling around on the ground with my partner and please stop sucking off her face."

Fletcher and Valkyrie split apart

"Skulduggery!" Valkyrie mouth was hanging open. "He wasn't sucking off my face. We were kissing and you just ruined it."

Skulduggery pretended to look hurt "I ruined it looked like he was about to swallow your head whole and quite painful if I may add."

"No you may not." She snapped at him

"So, what are we going to now Valkyrie?" asked skulduggery "Anything specific you would like to do.?"

Skulduggery's voice suggested it all.

Valkyrie sent him a glare before answering "no nothing really"

"you sure now?" skulduggery asked his voice becoming even more menacing" no one in particular you want to talk to?"

"Skulduggery, I can talk to him if I want to!" came Valkyrie defence

"Who?" Tanith asked no one in particular

"A certain vampire, to be exact Caelan the vampire who almost ended Valkyrie's life about two hours ago." Skulduggery spoke

"Thanks." Valkyrie sneered glowering at him. "Thanks a lot" she said and ran off

"Um… that went great you know." Ghastly said his fore head creased in sarcastic surprise.

"You always had your way with the women Skul." He said

"What she's just over reacting, she'll come to her senses eventually you'll see and if not well, we'll have to deal with it then." They all started slowly off down the corridor after her.

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**well time for a tea break and we will begin todays one by disscussing knitting patterns and then we will move on to reviews!**

**regards V.S whoops undermining my authority**

**Vantiy Storm**

** chocolates! flowers are okay. you could always just give chocolate flowers! yeah fletcher do that next time that would show des sorry Mr Edgley that is.**

**p.s isn't google great!**


	19. Great and Terrible Happiness

**I WATCHED TOY STORY 3 ON THE WEEKEND AND CRIED I WATCHED AGAIN LAST NIGHT AND SAT THERE TEARS ROLLING DOWN MY FACE ONCE AGAIN...! :(**

**THEN TODAY WAS MY LAST PIANO LESSON EVER...! :( I HAVE BEEN DOING PIANO FOR EIGHT YEARS AND MY TEACHER HAS BECOME LIKE FAMILY BASICALLY. SO I LEFT HER HOUSE SOBBING ! :(**

**thank you much to:**

**SPobssesed  
**

**and **

**footyforlife  
**

** and i hope to hear from you two soon you guys make me happy! :)**

**Well seeing as barley anyone reviews anymore( Im talking about you alyss) all i can say is **

**enjoy**

* * *

Melissa Edgley sat on the couch in the lounge room. The fan was blowing in her face cool air cascading over her. She felt at peace with everything. All was well. She shifted a bit trying to find a more comfortable position, found it and lay back once again. Her husband Desmond came bustling in for the tenth time that hour and asked her if everything was alright. She nodded eyes closed and sighed.

Des was nice and kind and she loved him very, very much but sometimes he could get a bit too helpful. He went out of the lounge room and went back to the kitchen. Melissa felt guilty. She hadn't told Desmond and her daughter one important thing about her pregnancy. She had wanted to keep it a secret. She was having twins. A boy and a girl. Twins. She had wanted to keep it a surprise; she and Desmond had chosen a name for a boy already. Gordon. The baby would be named after him. But what of the second one she thought what name could they possibly given her. She lay wondering when she felt a kick. She jumped and chuckled and she felt the two babies kicking and moving around inside her. She relaxed once again and almost fell asleep when suddenly she didn't feel too well. Her stomach was tightening and felt very stretched. She groaned and called out.

"Des, I think…."

Desmond came running out of the kitchen and saw his wife lying uncomfortably on the coach. He came over and tilted her head up.

"Melissa are you okay can you hear me?" he asked panicking

"Yes…" Melissa laughed and then cringed "I think we need to go to the hospital though!"

"Oh" Desmond said "I should probably call Steph down then yeah?" she nodded and he poked his head down the hall and yelled. "Steph your mum wants to go to hospital, give us a hand will you."

Valkyrie had decided she would go home first and freshen up she took a taxi from outside the herbian to her street got out and began walking. It was a sunny day and the air smelled fresh it was quite ironic considering what position she was in. Skulduggery she reasoned could be a jerk but really he had never before been so mean, it just wasn't right. She was hurt and it was Skulduggery s fault. She walked past her neighbour's house and entered her front yard. She was just about to reach for the door handle when it opened. Her eyes fell onto a sight she would replay over and over in her mind. Standing there looking at her shocked was her reflection.

"What the hell." Valkyrie said just as her parents came into view. Her father was helping her mother down the corridor heading towards the front door. Quickly Valkyrie pushed her reflection out of the way and held the door open for her parents.

"Steph, go and get a bottle of water, would you sweetie?" Melissa Edgley said as she was helped through the front down and hobbled down the steps towards the car.

"Okay." Valkyrie went inside the house. She entered the kitchen and opened the fridge inside she found a half frozen bottle of water she took and it out and ran back to the front door. She shut it and ran down to the car. Valkyrie's parents were seated the engine already running. Valkyrie hopped in and her dad drove off.

They arrived at the hospital and quickly got out. Hobbling towards the entrance, a nurse came up to them took one look and Valkyrie's mother and said.

"I think you might want a wheel chair miss." Melissa nodded and the nursed hurried off returning two minutes later with a wheel chair. Melissa seated herself in the chair and the nurse began pushing her off towards the maternity ward.

Mr Edgley and his daughter sank down into two seats up against the wall.

"So …." Her father began.

"So" she said back nodding.

"You know this was sort of how it happened when you were born."

"Right dad, don't really want to know." She said sighing.

"A boy I can't believe finally a boy…I mean I was really happy to have a girl but ... a boy it's just…. Awesome." Desmond said

Valkyrie's jaw dropped as she stared at her father. "Did you just say awesome?" she said

"Yes, is there anything wrong with that?" he asked looking offended

"No" she said shaking her head and turning to stare at the wall. "Nothing at all"

Their conversation continued like that for the rest of their wait. Occasionally one of them would wonder off to go to the bathroom or to get a drink.

A few hours later the same nurse that had carted Melissa Edgley off, came bustling back.

She spotted Valkyrie and Desmond and came over to them her face beaming.

"Congratulations sir. Your wife has just given birth to two beautiful babies."

"Thank yo….two?" Desmond Edgley stood eyes wide and shocked

"two?" Echoed Valkyrie

"Yes two." The nurse said puzzled. "Would you like to see them?"

"Yeah" Desmond said nodding as they followed the nurse down to Melissa's room.

They entered to find Melissa sitting looking at peace and as vibrant as ever holding two small, pink, babies one in each arm.

"Melissa? Two?" Desmond said his brow creasing.

"Yes two I wanted it to be a surprise." She answered laughing a bit.

"Cool" Valkyrie said as she sat on the end of the bed. Her mother passed one of the babies to her and she cradled it.

"A boy and a girl." Melissa said "Gordon and Amelia Edgley."

"Boy... girl…" Desmond said mouth opened wide.

"Des close your mouth I don't want you catching flies here." Melissa said chuckling "here take Gordon would you I'm tired." She handed the little baby boy over to his father and smiled as Desmond held him rocking him gently. Desmond looked over to his wife smiled leant down and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Gordon and Amelia." He said and sighed "were going to have our hands full aren't we?"

Melissa nodded "yes, yes we are."

Valkyrie smiled as she watched her parents they looked so happy. She looked down to her little sister and whispered. "Amelia, my little sister." She had just registered what she said.

Her little sister, her little brother.

The baby, two babies.

Darquesse, another one to die.

She shuddered and closed her eyes but all that brought were horrible visions and with it a great and terrible sadness.

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**REVIEW! PLEASE I NEED SOME PEOPLE TO MAKE ME HAPPY BY REVIEWING **

**(WAY 2 MUCH CRYING LATELY)**

**GEEEEEZ i think im going into a depressive state REVIEW! PWEEEEEEESE**


	20. The Unforgiven

**rightyo people here is the next chapter **

**enjoy and review please**

* * *

Vanity yawned and rolled over her arm flopped down beside her on to the bed. Her brow creased, that's weird she thought. Where was Darien she opened her eyes and sat up there wasn't any sign of him anywhere. She got out of bed and dressed slipping on track pants a top and cardigan. She went out of the room and down the hall way towards where her sister was staying. She opened the door just a centimetre and heard giggling.

"Darien, I'm so glad your back." Vintage's voice said

"Not as glad as I." came Darien's reply as he rolled over on top of vintage and kissed her.

Vanity closed the door and leant up against the wall. She sighed and closed her eyes. She had known for some time now that this day would come when he would chose, she was happy he had chosen Vintage, she was stable kind understanding and fun but it still made her ache she had loved him but tried her best not to egg him on. _He would choose for himself!_

She needed to get out, to walk around stretch her legs and breathe fresh air. She went back to her room and picked up a backpack that contained a bottle of water, hat and a snack she would be back in a few hours. She slipped on some shoes and went down the hall to the front door opened it and stepped outside. The breeze played around her hair making it fly up and over her face. She pushed it back and set off down cemetery road. She passed the two funeral homes on either side and headed off the foot path into the trees.

She wanted to help people and those who were in need of her help were people who had been banished from there packs, people who had something unforgivable.

She found one such a person slumped up against a tree his shirt buttons torn open and a gaping wound in his side. She came over

"Are you okay?" she said anxiously.

He jumped and looked up confused

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said beginning to sit up.

"Are you sure?" she asked gesturing to his side.

He looked down and groaned saying "yeah I'm good just go."

Vanity bent down and kneeled beside him. "I really must insist that you let me help you with that cut."

He laughed. "Cut, you think this is a cut, it's a bloody hole in my side and you call it a cut." Vanity raised her eyebrows in an offended way and began to stand up.

"Fine then, if you don't want any help I will leave you here to rot…. It would serve you right." She had just about stood up when the young man's hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist.

"Fine." He spat "do what you will, it won't make a difference."

She bent down once again and opened her back pack. She took out a first aid kit that she carried with her everywhere for those just in-case moments. Her sister knew them all too well. She took out a bottle of disinfectant and unscrewed it. She pulled out a piece of cotton and poured the disinfectant on it. Then she turned to face him.

"Okay. This might hurt a bit." She said and he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. She leaned forwards and dabbed at the area. As soon as the alcohol drenched cotton touched his skin he jerked eyes clamped together knocking vanity so that she landed flat on his chest. They lay there him breathing heavily and wincing at the pain in his side. After a moment he opened his eyes and found himself staring into Vanity's vibrant green ones. Vanity scrambled off him blushing. He cleared his throat and sat up.

"Right, um... well continue…?" He said waiting for her to say her name.

"Vanity" she said and placed the cotton back down on his wound. He winced again but stayed relatively still.

"And you are?" Vanity asked as she continued to dab at his hole.

"Caelan." He gasped as the alcohol touched the injury once again. He watched Vanity dab at the wound so expertly. His brow creased. He could feel the sadness emanating off her. After a few more minutes Vanity straightened up and looked at the wound.

"It's going to need a bandage." She began rummaging around in the first aid kit and found one. She took it out and un-rolled it.

"It's no way long enough." She said sighing she looked around but didn't find anything.

"Use my shirt," Caelan said. He began to remove it from his blood covered body. He handed it to Vanity

"thanks." She said and began tearing it into one long strip. Once that was complete she shuffled forwards and looked expectantly at him.

"Oh right." He said and leant forwards. Vanity then began to wrap to bandage around him. Each time her hands touched his body he winced. _He feels so cold. _She thought. _He's pale as well. _She dismissed it as blood loss and weather. Once the bandaging was complete she helped him to stand.

"Here take my cardigan" she said as she began to take it off. He raised his hand to stop her.

"No really I'm fine." He said and began to turn round

"Caelan, really please take it your shivering." Vanity said

Caelan stopped turned around and shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist. He let vanity drape it over his shoulders.

"So where do you live" she said as she picked up her bag slinging it over her shoulder.

"Hang on." Caelan said. "You can't think I'm going to let you walk me home." He said

She turned round to face him and stood there her hands on her hips eyebrows raised. Caelan knew better then to argue. "Fine!" he began to set off and Vanity followed.

They reached Caelan cage after ten minutes. He stopped outside and turned to her.

"Right well you can leave know thanks for all your help and well... bye." He said

"Is this where you live?" vanity asked

"Yes and you may go know." Caelan said insistently.

"Okay then. I'll drop by tomorrow morning to check on your injury" she turned round and walked a couple of steps. For some reason unknown to herself Vanity turned back around and walked back up to Caelan. She leant over and kissed his cheek softly her lips making to barest of connection. Then she turned back ground and ran off. Caelan stood there for a moment longer dumbstruck. He felt warm and lively. Her touch had made him feel that way. Even though it was the slightest of touches. It was what had done it. He stood there as the warmness and life drained away. It would be something he would very soon crave.

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**im not sure if there iwll be another before christmas so **

**MeRrY cHrIsTmAs!**

**Vanity Storm**


	21. Jack Queen King!

**Hello earthlings!:) **

**arghhh watching a scary pink video clip arghh scarishly disturbing **

** how was your christmas and new year hope it was great well here is the next instalment so sorry it took so long to be put up **

**enjoy it and review please that can be your new years resolution :)**

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Valkyrie always felt peaceful when she found herself surrounded by the sea, it was something to do with the rhythmatic movement of the water or the constant splash of the waves crashing down. Whatever the reason it had always been a place of peace and harmony for when times got tough. Just like now. This was why she found herself here.

The birth of her two new siblings had been a joyous moment in her currently depressing and difficult life but it had also created a new obstacle. Valkyrie had known it would be hard and terrible to kill one sibling but now it was doubled because there would be two. The water was cool and it felt welcoming she let it lap around her; she got the sudden urge to begin doing laps.

Valkyrie dived under the surface and reappeared a few metres away. A smile began to break out on her face. She felt like normal again. She swam over to a flat rock and touched it she than swam back and did the same thing. She kept repeating the lap over and over; so many memories came flooding back. Good times, normal times. She heard the familiar noise of a car pulling up and someone stepping out. She knew who it was.

"Valkyrie." Skulduggery's voice called. Valkyrie kept swimming repeating her lap over and over.

"Valkyrie. Really come out of the water so we can talk." Skulduggery was becoming impatient. Valkyrie took no notice and ignored him continuing to swim always touching the rock.

"STEPHANIE!" skulduggery's voice boomed. Valkyrie jumped. It had been a long time since skulduggery had called her that. She turned to look at him eye brows raised.

"Right well now I've gotten you attention." Skulduggery began.

"Harrumph" Valkyrie huffed and began swimming constantly going back and forth always touching the rock.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked.

"Doing what." Valkyrie replied still swimming.

"Touching that rock." Skulduggery said. "It looks as if you're some psycho or something." Valkyrie sighed and swam over to the shore. She got out and walked up to where skulduggery was standing next to her towel. She bent and picked it up wrapping it around her and went to go sit on the edge of the pier. Skulduggery joined her and she began.

"When I was younger, a friend called matty and I use to play around here. He made up the game. The rock he made a portal. It was a portal to a different world." She smiled and looked out over the water remembering.

"In that world he and I were king and queen and we had children. Of course they were pretend and when we talked to them we'd be talking to thin air but ….. But for some reason the children always wanted to know about a different place, wanting to find something different. They always complained about wanting something different from the everyday life, a bit like what I wanted." She turned to look at skulduggery her face a mask of pain and sorrow. "Don't make me do it. I don't want it anymore." She whispered

"Don't want what." Skulduggery asked

"I don't want this anymore. I don't want to do it I just can't." she said

"Do what?" skulduggery asked again.

"This." Valkyrie said and she gestured with her arms at him. "I don't want to be your partner anymore." She said and turned away to look at the water rising and falling.

Skulduggery sat there his mind racing. She didn't want to work with him anymore didn't want to know him. Didn't want to have anything to do with him. She wanted to turn her back on everything , wanted to forget about it all.

"what." He managed to croak "you….you don't want to be part of our world." He asked.

"Not our world Skul it's not mine, it's yours, I don't belong in It." tears began rolling down her cheek.

"I can't do it and don't you dare make me." She yelled at him

"Im not making you do anything." He said exasperated.

"Yes you are." She screamed. "You're always telling me what to do always telling me how to do things and I can't do it. I have TWO new siblings Skul not one, two. I DON'T WANT TO KILL THEM. I just want it to stop I don't want to become Darquesse."

She crumpled into his shoulder sobbing and shuddering. Sighing skulduggery wrapped his arms around her shaking body and cradling her he whispered in her ear.

"It's okay; you won't become Darquesse I won't let her take you over, Val I'll look after you." He kept repeating. And then finally he said what he had been meaning to say since he arrived.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry please I'm sorry. Val I'm sorry I'm so sorry." His voice began to become squeaky and cracking like he were sobbing and Valkyrie guessed that if he were still human he would've been.

A few minutes passed as Valkyrie sat slumped in skulduggery arms, slowly her sobs began to subside.

"Valkyrie, are you…. Are you sure that you don't want this anymore?" skulduggery asked his voice unusually high pitched.

"I… I don't know." She replied "I just don't feel like I can do it…alone."

Skulduggery lifted her off him and stared at her. "Alone! What do you mean alone I've been here for you always. Valkyrie, don't ever think that your alone. I'll always be here for you. No one will matter more okay you… you're… you're special Valkyrie, special to me okay. I know that maybe sometimes someone might be a bit more special to me than you but it would be in a different context okay. I mean, you're like the daughter I lost okay and I don't want to repeat any of that again. But sometimes it might seem as though I might like someone… well…you know… His rant slowly was coming to an embarrassing end and Skulduggery waved his hands about trying to find the right words.

"yes." Valkyrie encouraged him to continue.

"um… well ahhh…. China." He gasped out and turned his head away.

"what." Valkyrie shouted jumping up face lit up. "China" she said laughing. "After all that skulduggery all the cautions you gave me to stay a fair distance away and now… you and china…. You're not serious are you?"

"Well. China and I are… I guess you could call it an….. item." Skulduggery said crouching in a defensive position ready for the explosion of insults and humiliation that would tumble out of Valkyrie's wide open mouth. But it never came all that came was one plain "oh" as she stood up and walked off towards the change rooms.

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**Well are you ready to fufill the new years resolution good review down here please!:)**

**Vanity storm :)**


	22. Blow after Kick, Kick after Blow

afternoon earthlings here is the next chapter !

thank you Sneaky Lunitic Spy for the lovley reveiw... :) well i hope its not late well here is the next chapter

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Vanity knocked twice on the steel door, after a few minutes it opened onto the tall, still and expressionless Caelan. She smiled.

"You look much better." She said

"Ahh… thanks." he said "well um…"

"You realise I have to see the wound." She said very expertly.

"What since when." Caelan blurted out.

She rolled her eyes and sighed "since I'm the one who helped you now let me in and I'll take a look at it."

"No really you don't have to" Caelan said moving his hand to his injured side.

"Just move over Caelan" Vanity sighed and pushed herself past him and into the vast room beyond. It was virtually empty except for a steel enclosure in the middle of the room. She turned back around to look into the pained and annoyed face of Caelan.

"Right let's see it then." She said walking up to him. He took a step back saying

"Really vanity, you don't need to its fine. You did … a good job"

She raised her eyebrows "seeing as it was a job done by me I would like to see It." she took another step closer and Caelan took another few back.

"really its fine you can go." He said

"Caelan it probably needs cleaning and considering the state it was in yesterday I think I should be the one to do it. " she said walking after him.

He took another step back and heard the thump of the wall. He was trapped. Somehow cleverly Vanity had cornered him and now she would get what she wanted.

She smiled saying "you see had you of just shown me in the first place I wouldn't of had to waste time chasing you round." She took a few steps closer and reached out lifting the corner of his shirt to view the wound she had dressed the previous day. The corner of Caelan's shirt was obscuring his view of his body but he saw Vanity's mouth drop and her eyes widen. She took a step back and looked up at him.

"It's…. gone." She gasped

"Yeah that's what I've been trying to tell you."

"But why." Even as she said it the answer came to her. The observations from the day before began to piece together until they formed one possible result.

"You're a vampire." She said and watched as Caelan nodded his head.

She took a step back, "you're dangerous, you're...they were…." Her voice faded away. Caelan looked up into her eyes. "Dangerous you think I'm dangerous. After all that time yesterday and you think I'm dangerous." He smiled a weird cocky grin "there are much dangerous and blood thirsty creeps than me out there vanity." He gestured to the cage in the middle of the room. "This is where I live; I lock myself in that thing so that I'M protected." He gestured to himself.

But Vanity kept walking backwards. _It couldn't be real_ she thought, everything she had learned been told and now she had walked right in the middle of a death trap. She had heard a couple of months ago that Regan was now in league with a vampire. Why hadn't she been on alert why hadn't she thought quicker? He_ was injured and needed help_ she told herself. She stopped backing away and looked up to face Caelan.

"I have to leave…..I'm sorry, I just…." She was lost for words at her stupidity. Caelan nodded and gestured for her to leave. She turned around and ran towards the steel door and wrenched it open. She then ran out onto the pavement and crossed the road heading for the clump of trees opposite her position.

She found a small clearing and sat down. Mentally cursing herself for not paying attention. After a few minutes Vanity heard a rustling sound off to the left of her. Her head came up and she was alert. She watched the space where the noise had come from. Suddenly a man probably in his late thirties. Came stepping out from the bushes. His hair was a mess and his coat sat crookedly on his shoulders. He flattered his hair trying to make his shabby appearance better. He straightened his coat and looked up saw Vanity and came over to her.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but are you able to show me to." He paused and pulled a scrap of paper from a coat pocket he unfolded it and squinted at it. "104, Milton Street."

Vanity was suspicious but she decided it wouldn't hurt to show this man to a house. "Follow me."

"Thank you" he said and they set off out of the trees

They were walking in silence until the man cleared his throat once again. "Do you live round here?" He asked.

"Yeah I live past the forest." Vanity answered.

"Really oh I live in the next suburb, I'm visiting a work colleague." They continued walking in silence.

They were about a block away when the man began talking again. "I have a daughter who's about the same age as you." He said. "She's 14, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen." Vanity answered.

He smiled "I remember when ii was sixteen. Lots of fun the teen years are."

Vanity almost scoffed at his comment

"My daughter's name is Susan, she's sweet she wanted to come today but I told her she couldn't you should of seen her face. She was so upset." He trailed off for a bit and the silence settled in once again.

They reached the house. The man turned around.

"Would you like something to eat or drink" he asked

Vanity shook her head. "No I'm fine thanks" she said smiling

"You sure now, I'm sure Dave wouldn't mind, really just one quick drink and then you can on your way. "The man insisted

Vanity sighed "okay I'll get a quick drink of water and be on my way."

They walked up the front steps and the man knocked on the door. It was opened by a tall red haired man. His face broke into a smile.

"Steve" he said and shook the man's hand

This must be Dave vanity thought

Dave's gaze fell on vanity

"And this must be Susan." He said reaching out to shake her hand

"No, this is….." he paused and turned to Vanity

"Oh, it's Vanity." She said smiling

"Yes this is Vanity; she showed me the way to your house." Steve said

"Oh" Dave said "pleased to meet you."

"I offered her a drink to refresh herself" Steve said to Dave.

"Oh yes please come in make yourself at home" Dave gestured them in and Vanity entered into a comfortable looking living room. She seated herself down on one of the lounges and Dave began walking down the hall way. "I'll just go get some drinks I'll be back in a moment."

Vanity was admiring the painting on the wall; it was of a lovely river bank when all of a sudden Steve began coughing clutching at his throat. He clapped to the ground his eyes closed and he was still.

"Dave" Vanity called out, there was no answer. She got up off the couch and came over to staves side. She knelt down and picked up his arm. It was cold. There was no pulse. _God _she thought_, he can't be dead can he. _She bent down lower and put her ear to his mouth. There was no breath no sound. She began to rise again when all of a sudden Steve reached out and grabbed her flipping her over and clutching at her throat. He was holding it just tight enough so that it hurt but not that it was strangling her.

"You were with him weren't you?" Steve growled "that vampire fake, Caelan." Steve spat out the sentence and stared down at her. Vanity didn't move didn't say anything. Steve shook her "answer me you stupid girl. You were with him."

Vanity nodded

"What did he say to you?" Steve asked

Vanity swallowed "nothing."

"Don't lie to me girl." Steve yelled

Vanity's eyes flittered over to the hall way Steve noticed the movement and laughed. "Dave's not coming back. No something much worse will be though. Vanity." He smirked at her name and vanity's stomach dropped. Once again in the same day she had let her guard down had walk straight into a trap. Steve laughed showing sharp pointed teeth. "You've figured it out haven't you?" He said.

Vanity nodded

"Well now that you know what I am I will introduce myself." He cleared his throat. "My name is dusk and I'm working for Regan."

Vanity began squirming around trying to break the grip around her neck. But that only made things worse. Dusk then pulled a rope out of his coat pocket and tied her hands together as well as ankles. He then stood up.

"Well. Regan does want your sister and you alive, but he never said I couldn't have fun in the meantime."

Vanity curled into a ball and closed her eyes wishing she had just refused, as blow after blow and kick after kick began to rain down on top of her.

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hope you enjoyed it and please review people earthlings... please! :)

~~~~~V.S~~~~~


	23. A Stolen Kiss

**yayayayaya alyss you finally reviewed and made me really happy thanks!**

**here is the next chapter sorry sneaky lunitic spy that it wasnt sooner but ive had a pretty rough week a death in the family and stuff so yeah well here it is enjoy everyone and please review**

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Vanity's face was swollen; it hurt whenever she moved even the slightest breath hurt. She lay in a crumpled heap silently yelling out death threats to herself. She heard the click of the lock in the door. She had been moved from the lounge room to this steel chamber that morning. The door opened and Regan entered. He moved to the side of the room and picked up a chair he brought it over to vanity's still body and sat. He cleared his throat.

"Vanity," his voice was deep and there was no mistaking that he meant business.

"Vanity?" He waited to her to respond but she didn't he kicked her side and she grunted.

"Ah your listening then, right now tell me girl where is the letter?" vanity's brow creased letter she thought what letter. She slowly and painfully positioned herself into a seated position.

"What letter." She crocked her throat was sore from being hit so many times.

"The darn letter your parents had. The one they hid."

"I don't know of any letter" vanity said Regan's hand came crashing down on her face

"Tell me where it is you scum. You know where it is I can see it in your eyes you know now tell me."

Vanity's face stung and her eyes began to cloud as the tear sat waiting to spill over. She blinked them away and the said "I have no idea what you are talking about. Really I've never heard of this letter." Regan glared at her.

"If you won't tell me know I'll have to force it out of you." His hand moved to the inside of his coat and he pulled out a gun. He pointed it towards her. "Now vanity, tell me or I will shoot your stupid worthless body." He spat. 'No actually better than that. I will go and find you dumb sister and make her a messy pulp and that boy who hangs around with the both of you. What's his name Darien?" He saw vanity's eyes widen. "Oh yes "he jeered. " I know about Darien and the skeleton. As well as that stupid brat that hangs around with him. Valkyrie. I'll kill them all. Unless you tell me where the letter is."

Vanity was shocked. Darien hadn't told her that he had been found out. He hadn't said anything about it. She swallowed. Her sister and friends were at stake here and if she didn't give Regan what he wanted they would all be dead. "The letter is hidden." She paused. She needed a hiding place. "Under water.' She said as a vision suddenly came to her. A memory from not too long ago. A lake it looked like.

"Under water?" Regan said puzzled. He stood up and turned towards the door and then he paused turned back to vanity. "Thanks for the help, pretty soon we won't need you anymore." He kicked over the chair and it crashed down on her. He pocketed his gun and then laughing he exited the room.

Vanity lay there sobbing. Where had she gone wrong? Why was it her. She called out with her mind.

"Please, help me," she gasped sobbing "Please there going to kill me, please anybody please."

Caelan was unlocking his cage. He limped out. It had been a rough night. He locked the cage after him.

All of a sudden his vision blurred. He stumbled and grabbed the bars in front of him. He could see a room. Bear just like his. In the middle a figure lay huddled a chair lay on top of them. He heard a sobbing and then a loud cry for help

"Please, help me," there was a gasp

"Please there going to kill me, please anybody please." The vision faded and he straightened up. The voice, he thought, it's familiar. Vanity. His mind said. She was in trouble. She's hurt. Someone's going to kill her. Quickly he got ready to leave. He walks out and locked the steel door behind him. Then following her scent he tracked her location down. He reached a street and walked down it. He came to stop outside a house that looked as normal as any of the others but he could smell cruelty. He walked up the steps and pushed the front door open. There was a hallway in front of him he walked down it following vanity's scent still. Right at the end of the hall there was one door. He opened it and found the person he had been searching for. Quickly he closed the door behind him and rushed over. He crouched down and touched her shoulder.

Vanity jumped and her head whipped around. "Ow" she groaned. Her face was bruised purple and there was a cut under her eye. Her hair was a mess and her body was sprawled. But the thing that made Caelan extremely angry was the fact that she was bound.

"Vanity." He said softly. 'It's me Caelan."

He saw the look of recognition in her eyes and she began to sit up. He held up a hand to stop her. Then pulled a pocket knife from his coat. He quickly cut through her bonds on her arms and feet. Then helped her to sit on the chair. He kneeled in front of her and took out a first aid kit. He quickly set to work wiping the blood and sweat from her face and arms.

"Caelan." Vanity said her voice was hoarse. "How... how?" He butted in

"I'm not sure. You called me. I think." He continued to clean her face and after a few minutes he asked "who did this to you."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Regan and dusk." She opened them again and saw a look of rage and anger on Caelan's face.

"Dusk, the vampire, you mean." He blurted out.

"Yes" vanity nodded. She coughed and then clutched at her chest. Wincing in pain.

"Are you okay?" Caelan said. She nodded.

"I think so. It's just my…. chest." She gasped finding it very painful to breathe. She began to sway and almost fell off the chair. Caelan reached out and steadied her.

"I have to warn the others. Vintage, Darien, Skulduggery and Valkyrie.' She said panicking.

"Dairen?" Caelan said puzzled "who is he."

"A friend." Vanity said smiling. "He has help vintage and me for a long time and well, you know …..After a while I fell in love with him." She looked up at Caelan and their eyes met. She couldn't look away his eyes she thought. They look like tunnels. Mysterious tunnels. She sat frozen still and stared. Caelan was doing almost the same thing except the inside of him was screaming.

_Just kiss her. What if I stuff up like last time. Just kiss her! No she probably doesn't like you you're a monster remember. Kiss her! _He was at war with himself.

Finally he came to a decision he reached up slowly and cupped vanity's face in his hand. He could feel the fuzziness. He felt warm. He slowly leant towards her still and patient in curiosity body. Her eyes closed and so did his and a second or two later his lips met hers and warmth and life flooded through him. He only realised then that his body had been yearning for that feeling to return. The kiss lasted a few seconds and then they gently broke apart. Their eyes opened and vanity blushed and looked away. _It was a stolen kiss _she convinced herself.

Caelan swallowed "ah …um we should probably get going." He said and turned away to hide his red cheeks as the warmth and life slowly began to weaken and few minutes later and it had gone.

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**well hope it was good and please review **

**V.S**


	24. He Knows

**Hello once again Earthilings please enjoy to the fullest extent ? random i know but any way**

**enjoy and reveiw**

**earthlings!**

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Valkyrie loved spending time with her parents but the best thing about it was when she could forget about the darkness within and when she could enjoy being a normal 16 yr old. But today she would have to do something important. When she woke up she had a searing pain on her neck. She put her fingers over it and felt two small lumps. _Oh god,_ she thought _great, now this will really make my talk with Caelan much better won't it _she got out of bed and pulled on her black clothes she was just about the leave the house through her window when she heard a baby crying. She sighed; having two new babies in the house was tiring they were always crying. She went across the hall into Gordon and Amelia's room. Amelia was crying Valkyrie picked her up and hushed her swaying back and forth patting her. Amelia began to quiet down and started gurgling Valkyrie smiled. Her younger sister was so cute. She heard a faint pop behind her and turned to see Fletcher standing there with a smug grin on his face holding two tickets in his hand.

"Well, well, well." He said noticing the wriggling bundle in her hands. "The children have awoken dear." He said sacasticly as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

Valkyrie smirked "get outta here" she said shooing him out

"Hey" he said injured "I just came to ask did you want to go see something tonight I have tickets." He said flashing them in her face.

"Sure whatever just go before my parents see you." She said. Fletcher saluted her, turned and teleported. Valkyrie sighed she put the now quiet Amelia back into her cot and went down stairs. She left via the front down and began the long trek to Caelan's place her neck stinging and burning all the while.

Caelan sat in the small room that contained a bed and a chair. He watched Vanity sleep as she took regular deep breaths of air and then exhaled. A couple of time during the night she had begun to move around, tossing and turning. Caelan had been a bit worried the first time but then realised it was just a night mare. He had injected the fluid used by dusk into him that evening which had prevented his transformation. He had proved that he could stay in the human façade without harming someone.

Vanity tossed again and then cried out in pain. Her eyes flew open and she was breathing heavily panting almost.

"It hurts." She wheezed and tried to hug her knees towards her she gasped and clutched her chest. Caelan stood up and came into view his face confused.

"Are you okay?" he asked Vanity shook her head eyes wide. "What's wrong?" He asked his voice rising in volume.

"I...t... hur…ts" as managed to gasp out.

"Where? Vanity where does it hurt?" Caelan asked holding her still as she tried to toss and turn. Vanity placed a hand to her side. "Here" she whispered.

Caelan moved her hand out of the way and slowly went to go and lift her shirt. She tried to stop him but he whispered softly "please just let me look, I need to know what's wrong." She let her hand fall and laid still. What Caelan saw angered him? There were deep gashes in her side as though someone had gotten a blade and run it down a few times. But Caelan knew that it wasn't a knife that had done this. It was someone's hand, or he corrected himself something's hand. Dusk would pay.

She moaned and He hushed her pushing back the hair that fell onto her eyes. He looked at the wounds again. G_od_ he thought _why she didn't tell me about these earlier. _When they had left the house previously he had helped vanity to walk but she soon became exhausted and had passed out. He had brought her back to his cage and placed her on the bed in the second room, he had spent the past few days and nights watching her worried.

The wounds were deep and probably infected judging by the green puss that was around the openings he sighed "okay I don't really know how I'm going to do this." He took out a pen knife from his pocket.

Vanity's eyes widened. "What... what are you going to d ...o w…ith that?" She asked looking scared. Caelan noticed the terrified look on her face. "Don't worry it's not for you." He said. He put the tip of the knife to his thumb to draw blood "this may hurt bit." He said. Then he smeared it over the wounds on Vanity's body. She winced in pain as the connection stung her skin. She arched her back gripping the sheets and clenching her teeth. She was breathing heavily. One minute she would relax and the next she would be on edge again. Caelan took hold of her hand and sat there stroking it and trying to sooth the pain.

It was hard for him to watch her as she tossed and turned about in pain. Images flashed though his head of when he had seen Vanity's crumpled body on the floor in the steel room. The bruises and cuts that had been inflicted on her by dusk and Regan. She moaned and whimpered as the pain slowly began to recede but then all of a sudden it started again, she squeezed his hand so hard he was almost afraid it would break in two.

"It stings." She said closing her eyes and tossing about. "Make it stop!" She almost screamed as the pain became too much. She began crying trying to huddle into a ball. He watched her in shock in less than a minute she had changed from being a normal person in pain to a tormented toddler almost. He felt guilty there was nothing here before him to say that he wasn't just as bad as them for inflicting pain on someone he barely knew. It was a terrifying site. He sat and waited as Vanity still moaning and squeezing his hand slowly began to return back to normal. His shoulders sagged. He was a monster.

Valkyrie arrived at the factory door. The throbbing in her neck became even more pronounced she could swear that the two lumps had swollen to the size of oranges. She knocked on the steel door and waited patiently. A few minutes passed and then she heard the bolt being slid back and the door opened. An exhausted looking Caelan stood there he raised his eyebrows shocked at her.

"Um, Valkyrie." His eyes flickered to her neck and then back to her face. He suddenly turned stern. "What do you want?" He sneered

"Caelan, why did you do it?" Valkyrie asked.

Caelan looked up shocked he had accepted her to go ahead and vent at him but she had simply asked him a question. "Um, I don't know." He said lost for words. "You were dying. I needed to stop that happening."

"So you were trying to save me?" She asked

He nodded. "I was, but then." he shrugged his shoulders. "I got a bit carried away… and… well…" he bit his lip.

Valkyrie looked at his embarrassed figure. She smiled slightly and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay, I forgive you." He looked up relief over his face. Suddenly Valkyrie's happy expression fell as she remembered. "You got shot." She said panicking. "Are you okay?" She began to check his arms.

He laughed. "Yes I'm fine. I was well taken care of." He said smiling.

"By who?" Valkyrie asked puzzled.

"Vanity," he said. "She found me in the woods bleeding and well she wouldn't take no for an answer so she helped me."

"Vanity?" Valkyrie said puzzled. "I haven't seen her for days."

"She's here she spent the last few days and nights here." Caelan said nervously anticipating what he knew was to come.

"What!" Valkyrie yelled at him. "Why was she here? I swear Caelan if you've done anything to her…" Caelan held up a hand to silence her

"I haven't done anything to her okay. I found her at some house where Dusk and that Regan fellow where and they had been torturing her okay. I saved her life. She's fine she's resting in the back room, healing okay."

"Dusk and Regan you say?" Valkyrie asked

"Yes" Caelan nodded

"I have to go tell skull." She said and she quickly said good bye and ran off. Caelan watched her go for a while and then turned back inside. He locked the door.

"Caelan." He heard Vanity's weak voice call from behind him he turned. She stood there hunched over in pain it must have taken her ages to muster the strength to walk this far. Her hand was at her side blood had seeped through and was on her clothes. Her eyes were wide and she was swaying slowly unsteady... She stopped took a deep breath and then spoke. "He knows.''

She closed her eyes as the nausea enveloped her and began to sway even more. Calean knew what was going to happen next. Her eyes opened and rolled back into her head and she passed out falling into Caelan's arms as he ran forward to catch her.

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**Merci.**

**earthlings and please reveiw ( because i know you dearly want to!:)**

**well thanks and again hope you liked it!**

**V.S :)**


	25. I Know Your Secret

**My poor little Earthlings Im soooooo sorry a month it has been since i last updated a month! oh dear what would Vintage say ahhh well **

**sorry once again but school work is getting to be a lot seriously and i just never found the time to update so i got home today sat down and wrote this all and posted it to keep you people happy! well i hope you enjoy it!**

**Vanity Storm!**

**and thank you to the lovely reviewers ! hope you back again this chapter! and many more to follow!**

**( I TIRED TO UPDATE THIS YESTURDAY 21/03/11 BUT FOR SOME REASON IT KEPT COMING UP WITH AN ERROR!)**

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China walked down the lane way being careful not to ruin her new heels. She entered the tree line and continued to the centre of the forest. She came to a clearing. There was what she had been looking for the lake. It was early morning and the trees were silent. She pulled a leaf off one nearby and dropped on to the surface of the water the ripples began to clear and a figure emerged from them floating just above the water. It looked female and had long flowing dark hair with amber eyes. Its face broke into a wide smile when it saw China.

"Scarlett." It screeched and through it arms around China in happiness "oh Scarlett I haven't seen you in years."

China pulled back a disgusted look on her face "Sabrina! How many times do I have to tell you I'm China Sorrows?"

Sabrina smirked "sure sis yep China Sorrows, Scarlett seriously can't you little sister even call you that now?"

China shook her head a stern look on her features. "Definitely not, I have come to discuss something's with you Sabrina." She said, Sabrina's head shot up curiosity crossing her features

"Something wrong in the world of mages?" she asked a grin splitting her features "I told Stephan and you not to leave the lake but no, and then Sophie went off and married that mortal and had those children." Sabrina turned up her nose at this last statement.

China sighed "Sabrina, Sophie and Thomas are dead and so is Stephan."

Sabrina's mouth dropped open her eyes were wide "dead?" she said in a small voice

China nodded. "Yes they are dead, now listen to me. Sophie gave you something to hide a couple of years ago right?" Sabrina nodded

"Yes, but what has that to do with anything?" she asked confused

"The children need to collect it Sabrina." China whispered.

"But it needs a living sacrifice to be collected." Sabrina exclaimed.

"Exactly, there is someone after them and it is our duty to look after the two of them together." China said crossing her arms to her chest shivering slightly.

Sabrina creased her brow and sighed "but why do we have to look after them." She whined

"There our nieces!" snapped china

"All right Scarlett no need to get angry, I'll do what I can." Sabrina said in defence

"Fine goodbye." China turned to leave but Sabrina reached out an arm and stopped her.

"You're not leaving now are you?" she asked her face a mask of sadness "after all these years of isolation and you won't stay a while?"

China looked away "I'm meeting someone, I... I have to go."

"Oh sissy's got a boyfriend." Teased Sabrina

"Stop it is quite!" china hissed through gritted teeth.

"Why something wrong? Who is it then?" she asked trying to hold in her laughter. _Her sister Scarlett the one who had made a pledge never to enter and relationship with anyone was seeing someone!_

China tried to look stern but finally she gave in. "Skulduggery." She said defiantly.

Sabrina stopped short of her snort of laughter and stared wide eyed at her sister gaping. "Not Mister Pleasant." She said horrified "you promised that you wouldn't fall for him again. You said that after he married that women and had a child with her you pledged." Sabrina gapped.

China waved it away with her hand and simply said. "Times change."

Sabrina stared at her in shock a little longer until finally said "but you basically killed his wife and child, surely he knows?" she asked uncertainly. At the mention of this China's face became enraged.

"No he doesn't" she snarled and sharply turned around and basically ran out of the trees as Sabrina called after her "he'll find out Scarlett I'll make sure of it! I know your secret!"

_Sisters_ Sabrina thought to herself as she sank thankfully back under the surface.

A few blocks away Vanity lay sleeping once again. She rolled over and her arm landed on something hard. She frowned and sat up rubbing her eyes. She almost jumped out of her skin when something began to vibrate on her leg. She sat still for a moment terrified her side aching at the sudden movement until she realised it was her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered.

"Hello" she said sleepily

"Vanity!" came an urgent reply "where are you?"

It took vanity a moment to register who the caller was. Vintage's voice rang out again "Vanity where have you been I haven't seen you in ages."

"Oh um I've been walking around the suburb." Came Vanity's poor excuse. "I'm out right now getting some food; I probably won't be home for a while. Probably not until late and them I'm going early again tomorrow." She heard vintage sigh

"Okay, fine, as long as you're alright take care."

Vanity smiled slightly. "Yeah you too"

"Bye"

"Vintage, say good bye to Darien for me and the others okay."

"Um okay sure" Vintge said confused "bye love you"

"Good bye Vintage I love you to" she hung up and sighed hunching her shoulders and holding her head in her hand.

"Is it just me or did that sound like more than just a see you later?" Vanity jumped up once again and winced clutching her side. Caelan stood in the door way a questioning look on his face.

Vanity smiled guiltily. "Yeah, I guess it probably sounded more like a goodbye forever type thing didn't it?"

Caelan nodded and walked into the room sitting down on the edge on the bed. Vanity shifted herself slightly but stopped when she gasped because of the pain.

"What's wrong?" Caelan suddenly asked alert once again.

"nothing." Vanity said waving him away; he caught her hand in his grip.

"Vanity?" he said looking stern she took this to mean don't mess with me and sighed.

"It's just the wound." She said and tried to pull back but Caelan gripped on tighter.

"Show me." He said sounding slightly aggressive

"No" Vanity said gritting her teeth and trying to pull away. He let go of her hand and said more gently

"Sorry, can I see?" She paused for a moment and then nodded and lifted her shirt. The cuts were horrid they were still raw and red and didn't look any better than yesterday. The bleeding had stopped at least Caelan thought.

"What's wrong with them?" Vanity asked.

"There not healing." Caelan replied as he instructed vanity to lie down. "Do you want me to try and fix it?" he asked. She thought for a moment biting her bottom lip and then nodded.

"Okay" he said and leaned his head closer to her stomach. He let his lips brush over the first of the cuts and followed it up until it stopped. Vanity suddenly went ridged as his cold lips touched her skin, she felt him finish the first and then move onto the second suddenly she felt something wet she gasped as the air hit the wetness making a cool soothing feeling. She looked down Caelan had licked her wound she watched as the wound began to immediately heal and he began to start on the third.

Caelan took his time on the last cut savouring how close he was to her and how unafraid she was. When he had finished he looked up and caught her gaze as she was staring at him. She blushed and looked away quickly.

"I hope that helped, it's should stop hurting now." He said awkwardly and got up to leave. He was just about to go out the door when he turned back around and said. "The good bye. It was mean to be forever wasn't it?"

Vanity nodded. "But why?" Caelan asked puzzled.

"It's a long story." Vanity said.

"I've got the time." Caelan said smiling slightly and Vanity sighed and gestured for him to sit down as she began to tell him about her parents and Regan.

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**oh my China has two sisters!**

**well i hope you enjoyed it ( i know the part with caelan is sort of a bit wired!) **

**but anyways! please review!**

**and something i haven't added for a while sorry for any spelling mistakes through out htis whole story! well off to go to bed have the worst head ache ever!**

**Vanity Storm**


	26. Mountains and Valleys

**he...he...he... well i'm finally back and ready to update... :) ... :( okay please don't kill me i just had major writers block and well didn't have any time and i've been having a bad term at school okay and well not getting the marks that i usally get so my grades are falling and yadayada. and ive been having family problems if any of you know me well enough and in person then you will know what im on about :) so yeah... :)**

**well this is a short chapter hopefully it will sustain you untill i have the time and ideas to update next...**

**sorry about the long wait :(**

**enjoy :) and please review it will be much appreciated!**

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"Why is it that every time something goes wrong Caelan is always involved?" Skulduggery sighed taking off his hat and scratching his forehead.

"No idea but I'm talking about dusk here!" Valkyrie said sternly. She was in no mood to be talking about the obsessions and actions of Caelan the vampire right now.

"Caelan said that dusk is now working for Regan in order to get Vanity and Vintage." She said frustrated at having to repeat it for about the third time to her partner.

"And how in the world did he know and find out?" skulduggery questioned the girl opposite him. Valkyrie groaned she had hoped she wouldn't be the one to tell him this. "Vanity was attacked she is now with Caelan being looked after."

Skulduggery tilted his head at an accusing angle as she continued "he told me that Regan and dusk had attacked her and tortured her to give them information."

"Your certain she's being looked after and not ripped to shreds?" skulduggery said leaning casually back in his chair.

Valkyrie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth saying "quite sure she is recovering from her injuries at his place."

"Fine, fine," skulduggery said giving up on his accusation of Caelan. "What sort of information did they want from her anyway?"

"I'm not sure" Valkyrie let her head fall into her hands and she ran her fingers through her hair sighing.

"Are you okay?" Skulduggery asked his voice suddenly filled with concern at the body language of his partner.

Yeah I'm fine just a bit tired is all" she said tilting her head to the side to stretch her sore and stiff neck. She saw skulduggery's head tilt and his mouth fall open, Bad mistake. She quickly fixed her hair to hide the two purple and black coloured lumps but Skulduggery's keen eye had already seen.  
"Bloody hell Valkyrie I wouldn't call that just tired "he sat up and leant over the table reaching for her hair, he lifted it to reveal the little mounds protruding from her neck right in between her ear and shoulder.

"What is this why haven't they healed yet?" he asked suddenly becoming angry.

"I don't know" Valkyrie replied trying to shrug off his hand but failed in the attempt. He ran his fingers over them and felt the lumps. It was like a deep valley in between two very tall and large mountains.

"We need to get this checked out by Kenspeckle immediately." Skulduggery said rising to his feet quickly and pulling her along behind him not paying attention to her protests.

"No really it's fine, I'm fine skul don't worry about it. I just want to get this dusk business sorted." Skulduggery was about to but in when Valkyrie held up her hand silencing him. "And I think we need to visit China to find out more about this Regan guy."

"But your neck…" began skulduggery but Valkyrie cut him off saying exasperatedly

"It's fine okay! Let's just get to China's"

Skulduggery nodded sighing and they began to head out to the Bentley. They clambered in and skulduggery pulled away from the curb.

The journey was silent except for the purr of the engine. They arrived at the library and climbed out of the car. When they entered the building China caught sight of them and came bustling over.

"Skulduggery dear, Valkyrie." She nodded to the both of them and then planted a kiss on Skulduggery's cheek bone. Valkyrie saw him suddenly go ridged and smiled cheekily.

"What service may I be to you two lovely people?" China asked happily as she placed her hand in Skulduggery's and the three of them began to walk off towards her apartment door.

"Just the usual." Skulduggery said clearing his throat and taking off his hat. Valkyrie could have sworn she saw him blushing.

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**sah yeah ! (hehehehe alyss our phone call the other day hehehehehe) **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review **

**sorry for any spelling mistakes but hey not everyone is perfect (darn that sucks) :) hehehe**


	27. Human Sacrifice

**yes i know it's been long but what can i say. My Grandmother had a heart attacxk recently and needs major surgery hopefully she can have it tomorrow and we need alot of time to recover. aslo we had to hand our school laptops (notebooks) back for re imaging to winodws 7 so i have nothing to wirte on until today when i comendered a computer. **

**so please no anger ! and enjoy the chapter there's a slight cliffy so yeah enjoy and review even though it's been soooooo long!**  
**please :( **

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Vanity was sleeping once again; she could feel something cold on her cheek. She moved her head slightly and it rubbed up against something soft and freezing. The bed sheet shouldn't be cold she thought. All of a sudden loud knock sounded, she jumped up terrified and stared at the shut door. A few silent seconds passed as she felt her heart racing. Deciding it was her imagination playing tricks on her she plonk back down on the bed her head coming into contact with something solid. The solid being groaned and Vanity shot up again to stare down on to the bed.

"Aww my chest." Caelan groaned lifting a hand to rub where vanity head had landed.

"Oh my, i'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there… I…I" Vanity took in her surroundings. She was in the only bedroom in this factory, in a bed and with Caelan. She blushed furiously and quickly got up standing beside the bed looking extremely embarrassed.

"s'alright." Caelan mumbled sitting up. There was a knock once again and Vanity shot across the room and pressed her self to the wall terrified. Suddenly her head began to hurt, her vision went blurry and she began to sway. Caelan shot out of the bed tripping slightly on the sheets ran over to her and caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground. He carried her back to the bed her head flopped to rest on his chest and the warm fuzzy feeling came back. He placed her gently on the bed and watched silently as she tossed and turned mumbling about Regan and Dusk. A few seconds later she shot up again to stare him in the face. Quickly standing she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the bedroom door.

"There here, we have to leave, have to get to the lake." She said pulling him through the door frame and towards the back door. More thuds could be heard from the front door as they made there way across the factory floor.

"Oi, Caelan open up you runt, we know you've got her hidden." Dusk's voice rang out echoing off the steel walls.

"Vampire. We have come for the girl and her only. Kindly hand her over to us and we will be on our way." Regan called from the door. Vanity could feel something vibrating in her hand she looked down. It was Caelan's hand. He was trembling from rage. She turned to him and touched his shoulder.

"Don't worry; I'm not going any where, just ignore them." With a small smile she turned back around and continued. Her hand came into contact with the handle and she tugged it open.

The sky had turned grey and there were clouds rolling in with the promise of rain. As on que the front door of the factory building bust open just as the sky let go a tremendous clap of thunder. Vanity Jumped Yelping at the sudden loudness. Quietly Caelan and her crept through the door and ran across the road into the trees beyond.

Pushing Past stubborn branches and tackling loose brambles that would catch at their clothing they finally made in to a clearing. In the centre was a lake. The Pair were exhausted. Breathing heavily Caelan slumped against a tree and slid to the ground. Vanity surveyed the waters surface muttering to her self.

"How did we do it last time? Mother told me, if I could just remember." She shivered in the cool breeze that whistled past the trees carrying the scent of fresh rain and pines. She began to wind a curl around her finger thinking. The leaves behind her began to rustle.

"wait." She exclaimed. "That's it!" She ran over to one of the trees and pulled off a leaf, then stepping back over to the lake she dropped it in and waited. The ripples spread out wide moving the water over an over. The creature beneath stirred answering her call and rose to break the surface.

Caelan, feeling slightly less tired and out of breath rose from his seat and came towards vanity uneasy. He could see the water gradually getting darker as though something were about to appear. Coming to stand next to her he placed a hand on her shoulder trying to ignore the fuzziness it created. Vanity turned her head towards him and smiled slightly.

"She's coming." She said softly just as the figure broke the surface.

"Vanity dear, how are you?" It asked spreading its arms wide.

"Aunt Sabrina." Vanity cried rushing past out of Caelan's grip and into the arms of the female.

"Darling, what ever is the matter?" Sabrina asked as she felt her niece begin to sob.

"Oh Aunt Sabrina. T...the most t…terrible thing has happened. After m…mother and father gave you t…the letter, we were hunted down. H….h...e killed them aunty and n…ow he's after Vintage and ….I." Vanity Sobbed holding her aunty closer.

"Dear me. Vanity why on earth didn't you come sooner. Hush, sweet heart, have you come to retrieve the letter?" Sabrina asked. Vanity nodded and let go of her aunt looking up into her face.

"I need it; I must keep it with me." Vanity stated. She looked back over her shoulder at Caelan and motioned him to come forward.

"Aunt Sabrina, this is Caelan. He's been helping me." Vanity said and saw as her aunt held out her hand towards him.

"Pleasure to meet you; i'm one of Vanity and Vintage's Mother's sisters." She then gestured to the water beneath her. "I' m a water nymph, actually we all were. But Sophie, Vanity's mother meet the mortal and left. Scarlet and Stephen found more enjoyment on land. So here I am the youngest and the only one who kept to the waters." She smiled weakly at Caelan before turning back to Vanity.

"Now darling are you sure you want the letter back?" she asked. Vanity nodded her head and watched as her aunt smiled in relief and slight satisfaction.

"My dear in order to receive the letter there needs to be a human sacrifice. Are you still prepared?" Caelan's eyes widened as he saw vanity nod once again. His arm shot out to grab her wrist.

"No, vanity you can't." he said turning her towards him. "There must be another way."

"I'm sorry Caelan but there isn't." She said shaking her head and smiling sadly at him.

He stopped and stood still, it suddenly hit him. "You've known it would come to this all along. You knew it's why you said good bye isn't it."

She nodded slowly still wearing the sad smile. "I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later." She turned to her aunt. "As soon as I go down please give the letter to Caelan." Her aunt nodded and Vanity turned to face him again tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

"Take the letter and go to Skulduggery's house. Give it to Vintage."

"But Vanity, you can't sacrifice yourself. We could get someone else. Heck, capture Regan and use him."

"She'll be well looked after young man it's not as if she's going to die. She'll just live under the water. She is part nymph after all and we have plenty of young male sacrifices who i'm sure she would be happy with." Sabrina stated her brow furrowed grumpily.

Caelan huffed in frustration. "You can't vanity there's so much for you here, you can't leave." He pleaded reaching out for her hand. She looked up into his eyes and saw once again the mysterious orbs there. How she whished she'd had more time to figure them out. Blinking back tears she then said. "It's not worth it Caelan, I get to many people killed and involved. I should leave." She held up her hand to stop Caelan's counter argument.

"Give the letter to Vintage say good bye for me and give her this." She leant forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. She pulled away and tried to push aside the fluttering in her stomach.

"And….. well If you see Darien.." she paused and looked up again into his face, her heart racing as she went up on tip toe and leant forward " tell him I loved him and give him this." With that she cupped his face drawing it closer and watched as his eyes closed. She planted her lips on his and kissed him softly and slowly. A few slow and peaceful seconds passed until she broke apart from him

"Good bye" she whispered as he stood there his eyes still closed. Quickly she turned away and headed towards the edge of the water without even a look back over her shoulder she dove beneath the waves.

Caelan heard the splash and his eyes shot open. She had done it, she'd gone.

"Vanity!" he gave a strangled cry as he rushed to the waters edge. "No!"

"The letter young man." Sabrina said tossing it to him. He caught it and shoved it in his pant pocket. He tore off his shoes and shirt. Then he slid off his pants so he was only wearing his boxers. Dropping them on the ground he pulled his arms above his head and dove into the water desperately after her.

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**sorry for any spelling errors and please reveiw it'll make my day!**

**V.S**


	28. Alicia Crows

**Yes I am fully aware it has been a long long time ! but sorry i have justm had so many things on and so many things happening both with school and my family and i am sorry! please for give me!**

**enjoy this chapter and review please i haven't had any in ages! :(**

**Vanity Storm**

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Skulduggery Took up his Usual spot in China's apartment while Valkyrie perched herself on the edge of the bed. China sat down in the other comfy arm chair and stared expectantly at Skulduggery clearing her throat.

"Don't ask me, Valkyrie is the one who wanted to come. I suggested we go to Kenspeckle to get those bite marks sorted out but no she…"

Valkyrie butted in "we want to know if you have information on Fire-hand Regan."

China stood and went to a file cabinet. "Fire-hand you say, haven't heard about him in ages. Last I knew he walked out on his wife and son to join with the shape shifters for life. But that was over five years ago. Why do you ask?"

Skulduggery picked up his hat off the arm rest and spun it on his finger lazily. "Well let's just say he hasn't been behaving to well."

China nodded and after a few seconds stepped triumphantly back from the cabinet holding in her hand a thick yellow file with name Fire-hand Regan printed on it.

"Regan is one of the few people we have built a whole life file on mainly because he was quite easy to track marrying a woman from a mortal background." She tapped a few symbols on the carpet and the floor opened up allowing a table to immerge. Once the flooring had settle China threw the case file down on the desk and pulled up her chair. Valkyrie and skulduggery shuffled in closer to the table to get a better look and the reading commenced.

China flipped the cover open. Inside was a profile of the man. China began to read aloud.

"Paul Chase given name, taken name Fire- hand Regan, previous spouses: Sandra Chase nee Vexen. Spouse: Emily Chase nee Stone (mortal). Offspring of Paul and Emily: Simon Chase and of Paul and Sandra: daughter whose given name is unknown. Her taken name is Alicia Crows." China Paused Brow Furrowed in concentration before continuing.

"Paul Chase/ Fire-hand Regan is an Elemental Sorcerer, he fought in the war beside Melovant and went on many undercover missions. He has the ability to shape shift and to change physical appearance. Paul chase Split with his Wife Emily who now has full custody of their Son Simon Who has taken on the name Darien Sneer." Valkyrie's Head snapped up.

"Darien Sneer did you say?"

China Nodded and read on "Darien has No Knowledge neither of his father's previous spouse nor of his Half Sister who is of the same age. The where about's of Emily Chase is unknown it is believed she fled Dublin after news of men trying to hunt her down for information on Paul. She left her 14 year old son in the care of a Mortal relative who recently died. The Where about's of Paul is unknown at this current point but all are advised to keep on the lookout. Paul is a useful asset to any plan and can and will be used against you at some point for double crossing. " She finished reading and closed the file turning the yellow cover back over.

"Well that certainly was on cheerful profile." Skulduggery said sarcastically. "Now we have even more people to hunt down. Darien Sneer, no idea who he is…"

"I do." Valkyrie said softly. "I received a letter from him a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" Skulduggery asked surprised. "Why would he contact you?"

"He mentioned he was a friend of Vanity and Vintage's, by the sound of it he was really close and they had thought he was dead."

"Well that's one person off the list now, has anyone ever heard of Alicia Crows?"

Caelan's vision was blurry. The water was murky but at least it wasn't salt water otherwise he would have been suffocated within seconds.

He swam on desperately pushing past water reeds that blocked his path. A few meters ahead he could make out the retreating figure of Vanity. Her Usually curly hair was now straight and fanning around her. He swam on faster trying desperately to catch up to her.

Vanity knew that as soon as she had dived into his water the transformation would begin to take place. She'd heard her mother talk about it so many times that when she felt the itchiness between her toes she didn't panic but just kept swimming. As long as she stayed under the water the transformation would continue virtually painlessly. She swam through the murky water unaware of the longing eyes watching her from a far. She went deeper and deeper. She swam past stones stacked on top of each other and felt something touch her ankle, she wiped her head back but nothing was there so she continued on unfazed.

Her neck was begging to be sore and she could feel the little lines being pushed up like raised scars. She put her hand to them and felt the skin break. She had gills. She looked back down at her hands and saw that they had become webbed. She looked to where her legs should be and saw that they were beginning to mould together forming a tail. She found herself getting excited and did a few loops and summersaults. Just as she finished the somersault something caught her eye. She looked and saw something shimmering in the grey water. A tail it looked like. She swam closer and saw the rest of the body emerge behind a stone structure. It was a man, or more correctly a male water nymph. He had a gleam in his eyes. He caught her looking at him and swam out towards her enticingly.

"You are from above? The queen has claimed you, has she not?" he asked Vanity Nodded in response.

"You have our blood in you already, I can sense it, it is strong the same as our queen. You are her heir?" Again Vanity Nodded.

"You will make fine company. I shall have you as my spouse." Vanity furrowed her brow in confusion. There was no way she was going to agree to that. She had only just gotten here she wasn't about to accept his hand in marriage. She shook her head firmly and turned to go but he latched on and grabbed the end of her tail. She tried to wriggle her way out but it didn't work.

"You can't leave anymore the only choice is to accept or die." Vanity Shook her head more forcefully and tried to swim away clawing at pieces of stone piled up on each other to form pillars. It was no use the only thing she had managed to do was create a storm of bubbles and dirt, which nobody would take as a distress signal, let alone see at all. The Nymph Began to slowly pull her towards him trying to take control of her thrashing body.

Caelan who had been trailing Vanity for a while now saw a cloud of bubbles rise up off to his right. He swam closer for a better look at what was going on and saw vanity stuck in the middle of it all. Some creature had taken hold of her and was pulling her towards his cave whilst she thrashed around in his grip trying to break it. Caelan sped forward. He came up behind the creature and whacked it over the head with a rather large stone. The creature paused for a moment stunned and then floated to the ground unconscious.

Vanity finally felt the grip on her tail loosen just slightly and with one almighty heaved she broke away. Just as soon as she thought she was free from him something latched on to her tail again. She kicked out and felt it let go but then grab on again pulling her further down and then circling her waist. her back was pressed up against something smooth and soft. She twisted around in the grip and saw it was Caelan. Her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't let him break the surface. She couldn't breathe oxygen not just yet, it would halt the transformation. She began to twist and turn in his grip to get him to let go desperately as she saw him head towards the surface.

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**did you enjoy it? tell me your thoughts!**

**Va****nity Storm**


	29. Sister Rivalry

**__*****~V.S~***

**here is the next chapter **

**chapter 29! wow this story is long i'm hopping to finish it soon because i have had a sudden brain wave as to where it will go form this point onwards **

**hope you enjoy this chapter it is sort of a tying together of where al the characters were and to get them in the same place so that the story could continue i hope it's not to confusing to know what character the story is focusing form at eachpoint:**

**first it is Vintage and Darien **

**then it is China, Skulduggery and Valkyrie**

**then it is Caelan and Vanity**

**hope you enoy this chapter and review!**

**sorry for any spelling mistakes**

**Disclaimer:**

**These characters You Shall see **

**Do not entierly Belong to Me. **

**I have simply Kidnapped them to My Lair, **

**To play with Them There. **

**They shall be returned when I see fit, **

**Or until they have forfilled their entire bit!**

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Vintage and Darien were laying on her bed wrapped in each other's arms. They had been lying together like this for a few minutes. Darien sighed and ran a hand through Vintage's hair then leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"you're beautiful." He said softly.

Vintage mumbled something unintelligible whilst laying with her eyes closed.

Her sister hadn't been see for the last week and no matter what Vanity had told Vintage she knew her sister hadn't even been home. She sighed sadly. Why had it come to this. Vanity had always been the least stable of the two but she was the kindest, the one least likely to break your heart intentionally or to use you. Vintage shifted slightly trying to find a more comfortable position. It was like sister rivalry.

Vintage had always been jealous of Vanity, the way Vanity always had people looking after, her caring for her, sheltering her. Everyone took pity on her and let her go easily. But Vanity had hated it. She had wished she was strong like Vintage, able to break someone's heart and not care. It was as though they were born at the wrong times. It should have been Vintage and then Vanity not the other way around.

Sometimes Vintage felt as though the connection between the two of them was so strong as if they were one person, they could converse with the other inside their heads and hear each other's thoughts. When one of the twins would be in danger or hurting the other would be able to sense it and feel the pain as well. That is what had happened. That time, Vanity had been lucky. It was her third attempt every other time someone had walked in and disrupted her before she could begin, but that third time she had left. Gone somewhere no knew of. She had been missing for days and hadn't been heard from. Vintage was worried, usually the two of them were inseparable. She had been working with Darien that day trying to figure out where to hide next when suddenly she felt her airways close. She had tried to breath but couldn't. closing her eyes she squeezed them shut and push past the pain until she was given an image of Vanity in a room harming herself.

It was lucky Vintage had seen that vision otherwise she felt certain there would only be on twin left today. Vintage sighed and tried to fall asleep but began to feel a sense of panic. She opened her eyes, there was nothing to be worried about in the room. Closing them again she saw a brief flash, she was underwater being tugged to the surface. Her eyes flew open instantly and she sat up, Darien's arm fell from around her.

"what's the matter?" he asked tiredly. Vintage quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed,

"Vanity!" she said before running over to the dressing table and picking up her phone. Quickly she dialled Valkyries number.

Skulduggery and Valkyrie with the help of China had been for the last half an hour researching the profile of Alicia Crows. They had tried everything but found virtually nothing. The information that they had managed to scrounge up was that Alicia was currently living in Australia. Skulduggery sighed and leaned back in his chair stretching.

"we've been at this for half an hour and only found this, I think it's time to head off." He said tiredly.

Valkyrie nodded and leant over to pick up her jacket. She picked it up and felt something start vibrating, she jumped and then remembered it was her phone. Quickly she pulled it out of her pocket and answered.

"hello, yes speaking, what! Where are you? Okay stay th… fine I'll ring Fletcher and we'll pop over. Where is it. The lake. Okay see you soon, stay calm." She hung up and turned back to skulduggery and China.

"Vanity's in trouble Vintage just called says she needs to get to Vanity as soon as possible I'm going to call Fletcher and get him to take us all to the lake."

Skulduggery nodded standing up and placing his hat on his head. China stood to, she turned to Skulduggery.

" how long has it been since you saw my sister?" she said whilst Valkyrie talked to Fletcher on the phone. Skulduggery groaned. "where going to go see her?" he said sighing. There was a pop and Fletcher appeared.

"right everybody stay calm and take hold Fletcher the rescuer extraordinaire is here." Valkyrie rolled her eyes laughing.

"get over yourself, take us to Gordon's." And with a pop they were there grabbing hold of Vintage and Darien and with another pop they were at the lake. And there right in front of them his back towards them was Regan.

Caelan lifted her drenched body from the water and placed her down on the bank. He then sat beside her and looked at her confused.

"Vanity, you have to breath." He said. She shook her head as water droplets flew everywhere and turned to face the other way.

"Vanity, please you'll suffocate yourself." He pleaded she still laid there her face going red, stubborn as the transformation began its completion.

"well if you're not going to take a breath then I'll make you." He said and he leaned over her body and placed his lips cold wet lips on hers and kissed her.

Vanity laid still for a moment in shock and then gasp breathing in air which haltered her transformation. Caelan's lips moved against hers and the fuzzy feeling returned as his body began to warm up. He had planned for it to be just a quick peck on the lips but as he was about to pull apart he began to get this feeling in the pit of his stomach. He leant even closer bring his hand to her wet hair and gripping it. this is what he wanted. To feel alive and to be warm Vanity could make him that. He pulled her body closer and she felt him smile as she responded moving her lips he pulled her up and rolled them over so she was on top of him. He placed his other hand on her back pressing her to him. Vanity ran her fingers through his hair and felt the water collect on her hand. Caelan rolled them over again and then broke apart from her.

He leant his forehead on hers and sighed.

"you can't sacrifice yourself Vanity." He breathed staring into her eyes

"but, why do you care." She said the spell had broken. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"because of this." He said and then he pressed his lips to hers again and kissed her passionately she moaned and wrapped her arms around him bringing him even closer. She felt his chest begin to vibrate as he began to make a growling sound. He pulled apart from her and quickly stood up walking away to the edge of the water. He stood there with his head in his hands water dripping off him. Vanity got up off the ground and walked towards him. She wrapped her arms around his soaked waste and leant her head on his bare chest and sighed.

"you're worried." She stated curiously

" yeah." Caelan sighed and wrapped his arms around her. " Vanity, I don't want to hurt you okay." He said making sure she understood. She nodded

" I understand, it's just… I need to know…" she began

"what?" Caelan butted in

"this is real isn't it, you're not one of Regan's minions are you?" she asked. He pulled apart from her and looked down into her sad and scared eyes.

"of course I'm not." He said and kissed her forehead she smiled.

" thank you." She said looking back up into his face. She leant up on tip toe and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"well this is lovely isn't it." Came a snarl from the side of the lake. They looked up to see Regan standing there a smirk plastered across his face. He Began to walk towards them when a small pop was heard and Skulduggery, China, Fletcher, Valkyrie, Vintage and Darien Appeared.

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**Hope you liked it and please review**

**Vanity Storm**

**__*****~V.S~***


	30. Missing in Action

**okay this is just a filler for now, i know it's been a long time guys but things happen okay so bare with me!**

**thank you. **

**this chapter intorduces yet ANOTHER OC character ( sorry for there being so many! :)**

**and it basically brings the last person to the lake so that things can begin to wrap up!**  
**oh and if any of you are Harry Potter fans than please check out my Bio scroll down and there are three there i'm also think of putting up another sometime in the furture!**

** there is also a rangers apprentice story as well **

**so anyways enjoy this chapter even though it is extremly short by my standards ! :)**

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Alicia Crow was not your average teenage girl. Sure she loved to look nice, talk about the latest music and the latest TV dramas, but she was different. She was more reserved than most girls and had a funny way of expressing herself.

She had known her mother for ten years before the unexpected happened. She disappeared, it had been a normal morning just like every other and Alicia had gone to school even. But when she got home her mother was missing. Missing in Action.

She had rung the police and they had started a whole missing person's case but her mother was never found. Alicia had spent the next six years of her life living with her next door neighbour, an old lady who was very fond of cats and had a strange way of viewing the earth.

This is where Alicia came to know about the "other people" who lived among them. Her mother had told her stories when she was younger about these people who could tame fire and awaken water, but Alicia had never really found any interest till she began living with Old Mrs Lewis. The stories she'd once been told where now her everyday life. She was able to tame fire, awaken water and touch the air.

Alicia sighed tying her long, wavy brown hair in a grey ribbon. She slipped off her jacket and continued to head towards the small house. She walked up the front steps and stopped to look at the number. She nodded to herself reassuringly and knocked. The door opened a few seconds later and a handsome man stood there his eyes brows raised quizzically.

"Scram girl." He jeered. Alicia Stood her ground and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm here to see my father." She said "My Name is Alicia Crows and I am the daughter of Firehand Regan."

The man at the door narrowed his eyes. "He isn't here, girl, you missed him." He growled gruffly and began to close the door. Alicia's foot shot forward in between the door frame and the closing door.

"Where has he gone?" she asked gritting her teeth against the pain.

"Why should I tell you?" he snapped. She rolled her eyes.

"Because. I am. His. Dau-gh-ter." She said slowly taking time it make it sink in.

"So" he said back getting annoyed.

"Look, Mr…"

"Dusk, my names Dusk."

"Look dusk, I am Regan's daughter Alicia now if you just tell me where he is then I can leave!" she said trying to contain her frustration.

"Fine he when to the lake alright now scram, your making me hungry!" he said growling slightly. Alicia's eyes widened as she noticed the fangs slightly protruding from his mouth.

"Oh, um thank you Dusk." She said and he grunted in reply.

She then quickly left. She entered the forest and walked to the clearing. Here she found the lake, and made out the figures of Nine people. She stepped into the clearing and cleared her throat.

"Firehand Regan?" she called loudly but uncertainly. One man in a beige trench coat turned to look at her. At the sight of her Brown and hair and black obsidian eyes he faulted.

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**thanks guys and please review!**

***~V.S~***


	31. The Prophecy Part 1 Sit

**Helloooooooo! yayayyaya a new chapter! ayay the story is finally moving somewhere! ayayayayayayayaya**

** *ATTENTION PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THIS AND ARE SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT FANS AND HAVE READ THE 6TH BOOK!* **

i was thinking of writing a Fergus Edgely one-shot but was quite unsure what it should be about! it'd be great if youg guys * could give me some ideas!

**now back to normal stuff. i hope you people enjoy this chapter and yes i now this story has soooooooooooo many OC'S and barely any fighting scenes but im soooooooooo totally not good at writing them so i hope its not too bad.**

**and Guys it'd be really great if we could get the review up to 100 please! :) **

**thanks to all you people who reviewed last time it'd be much appreciatd if you could do it again! **

**enough chit chat get reading and reviewing! hope you like it! **

***~V.S~***

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Regan's head was going crazy. His thoughts where all over the place and he could barely comprehend any of them. there was one though that stood out the most.

_She looks exactly like Sandra_. As that thought hit another came to take its place. _It's my daughter, no it couldn't be._

"Regan." The girl said again addressing him and walking forwards.

He nodded slightly.

"I am your daughter, Alicia Crows, Sandra is my mother." The girl Alicia, walked right up to him and held out her hand.

Regan slowly took it and shook it politely.

He could sense the confused glares from Skulduggery and the others. Darien stepped forward , brushing off Vintage's hand as she reached to pull him back. He looked her in the eye. "don't." he said gently. " I know what I'm doing." She nodded not too sure whether he was referring to what had just happened or what was about to happen.

He stepped towards Regan and cleared his throat. Regan turned to look behind him slightly. Darien stood there the next word's he spoke sending many people into confusion.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Vintage gasped and stepped back shaking her head, muttering over and over. " no, no , this can't be, no."

Darien ignored her and proceeded. "dad?"

Regan turned to Darien and growled.

"Simon stay out of this!" he said menacingly using Darien's given name.

"Dad, who is she. I never had a sister, who's Sandra!" Darien demanded gesturing to Alicia.

"she's you step sister, your both the same age, I was married twice. Look it doesn't matter, okay will the two of you just leave, and will you give me that darn letter!" he yelled pointing at Caelan.

Caelan growled quietly and gripped the letter and Vanity to his chest protectively. " you're not getting it!" he snarled.

"oh really now all I want to know is what it says." Regan teased as he walked closer. He raised his hand in the arm towards Caelan and twisted. The small envelope began to slips from his grip as well as Vanity. He cried out in alarm and grabbed at her accidently letting go of the envelope, it flew across to land in Regan's waiting hand.

Vintage ran forwards to go reach the envelope but Skulduggery moved in front of her and signalled Darien to hold her back. Within a second Skulduggery's gun was out and pointed at Regan's chest.

"you take one more step and I shoot." He said calmly. Regan faulted in his steps before smiling slightly and looking at Skulduggery.

"Clearly last time you tried to mess with me you didn't get the message." His hand twitched slightly and a stream of flames shot out towards Skulduggery. He dove and rolled out of the way to come up crouched. He stood once again and chucked his revolver backwards. Fletcher caught it. Skulduggery stood forwards forming balls of fire in his fists. He raised his arms and pulled his arm backwards to aim. Regan on alert raised his arms faster and sent a blast of air into Skulduggery which sent him flying back into a tree at the edge of the clearing. His head hit the tree trunk with a crack and he crumpled to the ground groaning.

China and Valkyrie shouted in anger and stepped forward to take his place.

China's skin was starting to stretch and change as her markings rose to the surface. She touched her fingers to her wrist and yellow light protruded forwards flying into Regan's chest pushing off of the ground with the forced. Valkyrie dove forwards and landed on top of Regan, straddling him she grabbed his arms and held them to his sides. He began to twist and tried to pull them free but she used the air to hold them down. His legs were free so he began to kick her off. Grunting each time he raised them to kick. Valkyrie clung on for dear life trying to get a hold of his legs to clamp them down.

She looked behind her to see china crouching by Skulduggery tending to his head. She yelled. " China , a bit of help here."

China stood looked over eyes widening and ran over. She touched her fore head and a blue glow started appearing around Regan's legs. Valkyrie could hear a clicking sound and she felt his legs getting cold. She squeaked in shock and shot off him. China was literally freezing his body. The blue glow crept up towards his arms freezing them to his sides and coming to stop just below his shoulders. She bent down and prized the envelope from his fingers. She walked back over to skulduggery and crouched down.

"Skul, I have to envelope, are you alright." She said quietly.

"yeah." He grunted beginning to stand. Chins helped him up and he walked forwards slightly towards Regan's half frozen body.

He gestured to Alicia to come forwards and she did stopping about half a meter from her father's body.

He turned to look behind him and gestured everyone else forwards. They all crowed round and waited.

"sit.' Skulduggery said. Everyone obeyed and sat down on the floor. China was seated on his right and Valkyrie on his left. Caelan sat directly across from him clutching to Vanity. The twins where seated next to each other. Vintage was edging away from Darien, unsure about whether or not he was trustworthy anymore.

Skulduggery cleared his throat. " china the envelope." She handed it to him and he took it reading the hasty scrawl on the front.

_Vanity and Vintage. _

_Their Prophecy_

He turned it over and looked at the seal. It was wax with the initials _S&T _interwoven on it. He was just about to open it when he paused and looked up at the twins. He thought for a moment before holding it out to them.

"it has you names on it." He said simply and vanity reached out to take hold of it. Vintage and her peered over it curiously and then they both ripped the seal. A sheet of paper fluttered out and vanity picked it up.

She looked at it confused for a moment before she read.

" First Prophecy half. If nymph shall leave the confides of water, for mere mortal she shall conceive the daughter. If nymph is called by mortal vain, The two offspring shall be gained. These two daughters of half birth, shall have the fore sight of the earth. Power beyond measure, to be used by man as his treasure. They run and run with all their might, it shall be useless when coming to the fight. Downfall of earth Is held by a thread, when boy and girl begin to tread. Side by side they shall stand, To bring eternal peace that was planned." She looked up at Skulduggery and simultaneously the two twins said. " it's talking about our parents but what does it mean, what are we both supposed to do? Who is the boy and girl?"

Skulduggery was about to answer that he had no idea when Alicia spoke up.

" I know!" she said and everyone turned to look at her. she blushed crimson with embarrassment before saying.

"There is a second half, it was in my possession, my mother left it for me when she disappeared, there were instructions with it saying I was to memorise it and then burn it." She paused thoughtfully then said. " so I did."

China looked up at Alicia. " so my dear, do tell what did this second half say?"

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**okay so that was the first part of the prophecy, the second should be coming soon and you will find out who the boy is and which girl it is! and what happens!**

**okay so people please review rememeber we are aiming for 100 reviews! **

***~V.S~***


	32. The Prophecy Part 2 Before I kill you

**Hello! well guys... im dissapointed... 1 review...1 and we were aiming for 100****!**

**please it's only six more reviews! we can do it!**

**THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH TO:**

**theturquoisejellybean! i love you beanie! see you when school starts! fellow Tomian!**

**okay now time for a news flash!**

**i was typing my chapter up a few minutes ago and was going through spell checking it making sure all names had capital letters cause i hate it when it doesn't fix it automatically when typping! ecspecially when i doesn't realise that Skulduggery is actually a NAME! (weLL for him anyway!) **

**so there i am reading through it , when i realised i can press ctrl- F and up pops a find box so i type in the name of a character and then check to see which one needs a capital and which one not and its soooo omuch easier than reading throught the whole document! meehehehehhe i sooooo happy now!**

**so yeah R&R seriously guys six more and than weve hit 100 please!**

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Alicia closed her eyes calling to memory the parchment she had burned years ago.

"Second Prophecy half, both boy and girl share one being, who's power was not this seeing. Mother of each different yet the same, When son and daughter clear the blame, Shiny clouds will rise and the sun will sink, If nymph women begin to drink the women of first generation have divided by separation. Dark beauty is deceiving, causing man eternal grieving. four children shall fix the earth, only after ancient bloods birth." She took a deep breath,

"I understood most of it before today but know I can understand all," she turned to face the twins, "your of nymph blood aren't you?" Vintage and Vanity nodded. Alicia then turned to Darien. "And you're my father's son."

Darien nodded in agreement to her statement.

"Well, Darien here," she gestured her hand his way. "He is the boy, and I am the girl, we both share one father but have two different mothers who in actual fact are related. One, my mother was much older than your mother because she was in fact a sorcerer unlike your mortal mother, and my mother was a great- great aunty of yours or something, so yeah."

She let the information sink in slightly before Turing to Valkyrie. "You are a descendant of the ancients, are you not?"

"Ah… yeah…" Valkyrie replied uncertain where this was heading.

"And I hear you have a little sister who was recently born."

"Yes." Valkyrie said seeing the slight movement from Skulduggery to her right.

"Well your sister shares this connection with the ancients and she has ancient blood within her, the four of us." She said gesturing to Darien, Vanity, Vintage and herself. "Will save the earth, from the person who is to blame." She looked Darien in the eye. "Our father."

Everyone sat in stunned silence, before Skulduggery raised his hand. Alicia looked up amused.

"Yes?"

"You've explained who the boy and girl were but you have forgotten the part about the Nymphs."

"oh so I have, well that only began to make sense when I heard the first half, you see, these twins are the offspring of a mortal and a nymph, this lake here is a nymph hollow, below the water is whole nymph city, and I believe the Queen lives beneath these waters, would I be right?" she asked looking pointedly at Vanity.

"Yes, she is… she is our aunt." Vanity said shyly.

China sat up a little straighter.

"Ah, I see now, she is the first generation and she has been separated from her brother and sisters, one of which remains, China you're the first generation as well."

"Yes I am, but I have not been in the water for some time, you can hardly expect the prophecy to still mean me."

"Oh but it does." Alicia stood and walked to the water edge. She picked a leaf off the closest branch and let it fall towards the water, landing softly, and ripples spreading from it.

The surface bubbled as Sabrina re surfaced once again.

"Ahh a party and no one invited me, gee how nice, China I would have thought you have better manners towards you little sister."

"Sabrina." China acknowledged.

Alicia turned to Sabrina and addressed her.

"Your highness, please are you able to provided information regarding these prophecies." Alicia read both halves out and Sabrina listened. Once done Sabrina thought for a moment before saying.

"Dark beauty, really China, that maybe a bit wrong for you there, but they sure got the deceiving part right, hey!" she smirked and China balled her fists glaring at her.

"Oh all right, well the basic gist of it is that the world will end when a Nymph women comes under water, you know breathe the water, or in the case of the prophecy 'drink' the water, which my niece Vanity has already done."

"Yes, what where you say about the last few lines, dark beauty and such." Alicia said

"Surely we don't need to know all that now do we." China said smiling gracefully, trying to keep calm.

"Oh but my dear sister, I'm sure this is a brilliant time to tell everyone now isn't, I mean he's here after all." Sabrina said gesturing in Skulduggery's direction.

"China, what is she saying?" Skulduggery said wearily.

"Oh nothing dear ju…." China began.

"Just that she basically killed your lovely wife and daughter." Sabrina finished. "Isn't that right Scarlett?" she said smiling a falsely sweet smile at her sister.

China turned towards Skulduggery looking distraught. "I….i can … explain." She stuttered terrified by the look of rage and fury she saw covering his face and for once in her life at a loss for words.

"Leave, leave me now." He said his voice low and murderous. "Leave before I kill you"

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**well i hope you like it! :D**

**please REVIEW! :D**

***~V.S~***


	33. Possession Obsession

**Yes it's been like forever... i know i know... i've been really out of it lately sorry guys... **

**anyways enjoy! and theres only a few more weeks till Dereks Australia Tour! arghhhhh! ekekekekekek :D and then the 7th book **

** Skulduggery Pleasant Kingdom of the Wicked :D ! it's gonna be gold! :D **

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China, Stumbled blindly out of the clearing and into the clump of trees. She knew Skulduggery was furious, but she couldn't bear the fact that his fury was directed at her for the first time, the first time ever in the three hundred or so years of their strained friendship.

She bent down and pulled her blue heels from her feet and set them down one at a time cautiously. The ground felt good, it brought back memories, the first time she had set foot on it. She'd been about eighteen. She had left the water and had gone through the clearing, coming out onto a very different looking road. There had been no motor cars like there were now, neither had there been as many houses. She could see how much changed in the three hundred years. It had been round the corner from here that she had first run into Skulduggery.

A young Man, he had been, exceptionally quick witted and handsome. Oh how she had fallen head over heels in love with him on first sight.

But then of course he had met that woman married her and she in turn had given birth to their child. The pain that had gripped china when she came to her senses all those years ago, that she could never have him because they were on different sides, came flooding back now. Just when she thought she had won him her sister had to rise up and claim China's happiness.

She stumbled on over the road and across to a little park. There was a climbing gym and a playground as well as some swings. She sat down on one of the swings and sulked. Waiting for it to all be over. She just wanted to go home.

Regan could sense the balance shifting. He had absolutely no control over the situation at hand. There was one desperate action left he could do that could possibly turn the tides back in his favour. The China woman was gone so that was one good thing; he wouldn't have to face her. At least not for a while. He knew the past would come back to haunt him eventually, everyone did. Melovant certainly did anyways.

He was on a mission, he had planned it from the beginning hence his mortal marriage. Eventually he planned to somehow make it, that mortals had magical abilities to! It was a brilliant idea it would mean everyone would have ability of control, it also meant that when he decided to pick a fight with a mortal at least there'd be some competition.

He looked to the skeleton detective and smirked. These people really were quite stupid in the face of danger and surely China should have known better.

He tensed his muscles and closed his eyes holding his breath. The felt the flames ignite and flicker up his arms melting the ice that was covering him, quietly he got up and moved behind the Cain girl.

Fletcher was confused, to say the least. How on earth could a prophecy be based on the actions of so many people, wasn't there some rule that limited it to one or two, otherwise how on earth would it be able to work? What if Valkyrie's parents hadn't had another child? What would have happened then? It was dependant onto many uncontrollable variables to be able to legitimately work. He looked from the twins to Darien and Alicia and frowned. What was it exactly they were meant to save the world from?

He voiced his opinion by holding up his hand. Skulduggery turned his head in Fletchers direction and nodded.

"What is it exactly that Regan is going to do that the four of you will have to save the world from?" he asked looking towards Alicia as she seemed to be the one with the most knowledge.

It was Vanity that answered though.

"He plans to set magic loose. So that all mortal beings will be able to poses it."

Fletcher had a look as if to say and this is a bad thing why?

Vanity seeing this look continued. "Mortal beings are adapted well enough to accept magic sure form a small amount of time they can cope but after a few days there brains being to collapse and they become dormant almost and turn into shells virtually, these shells are usually what Faceless ones inhabit. As it is much easier to take over a body that can't put up a fight and is only too willing."

"So how do you plan to stop him?" Fletcher said still quite confused as to how on earth or any other realm this idea would be able to pull through and actually have a successful outcome.

"By suffocating his magical ability, when a sorcerer loses there magical ability the same process happens their brains shut down." Vanity answered unphased by Fletchers apparent dis belief.

"And when do you plan on doing this?"

"Well right now as he has managed to free himself."

Everyone looked around just in time to see Regan lunge forward and grab Valkyrie by the neck.

"No one move, or I shall burn her to a crisp."

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**only about two more chapters to go and my story which was stared about 2ish years ago will be finished ;( **

***sniff's***

***~V.S~***


	34. Realisation

**hello! yes here is the next chapter... it's slowly coming to a close.. :( **

**:D **

**but hey 34 chapters so far thats pretty amasing! :D **

**I pre Ordered KOTW! i'm still waiting for my call to say its come through! **

**anyways.. enjoy... review ! you know the dirll :D**

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A number of things were running through Valkyries head at that moment such as how was it that all these people seemed to have a connection with each other, the fact that Caelan and Vanity had hit it off so well, the look of sadness that Alicia seemed to be sending toward Darien and the aura of utter murderous rage that she could feel radiating off of skulduggery. But the one thing that seemed to be suffocating the others into submission was the panic she could feel rising in her. She really didn't feel like letting go. Letting her surface again. Even if Vile could control her. She gulped down the lump in her throat and tried her hardest to drown her wave of rage that was slowly rising.

This Man, no not even this scum thought he could just Unleash magic on the mortal population, without even thinking of the consequences. What type of idiot was he? She breathed deeply as she could feel the heat from the flame in his second hand as it edged closer to her neck.

Skulduggery cleared his throat and she felt Regan stiffen.

"Regan, unhand her at once." He said terrifyingly calm.

"Somehow I don't think that hall be happening, Mr Pleasant." Regan snarled.

Fletcher went to step forward but was stopped as skulduggery raised an arm to hold him back.

Valkyrie stared at skulduggery finally catching his attention, she let her mask of calm and collected drop and showed him what was really going on. The panic and fear was clear in her eyes. Darquesse was being threatened, and was awakening.

Valkyrie didn't want this; she had tried so hard to prevent this. She tried to think of something other than the fact that a totally stupid, worthless sorcerer was holding a flame to her neck, an image of her Baby twin siblings popped into her head. The day they were born. Being held by their parents.

Amelia and Gordon, two little angels, to little bright stars, in a dark, dark world.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply swallowing that ever growing lump.

This was getting them nowhere. She felt a probing in her mind and creased her brow. She could hear a slight humming. She concentrated on that humming and soon enough it formed into two voices.

"Stay calm" one said.

"We're figuring this out." The other said. Valkyrie opened her eyes and immediately they locked with Vintages and Vanity's. She smiled slightly silently thanking them for their telepathic messages.

Regan cleared his throat.

"I need the two of you," he said gesturing to the Twins, "to come with me, if you don't I will kill Miss Cain, if you do, everyone else goes free."

Caelan Scoffed. "You really expect us to believe that." He said coldly. "You let go of Valkyrie and walk away and no one gets hurt."

Skulduggery stepped forward, "really Caelan I doubt this is your time to be making decisions." He said sharply. Caelan bowed his head in shame and stepped back slightly.

"Regan, your plan to unleash magic as it were is absurd and dangerous! It's ludicrous and it won't succeed the way you wish it to."

"But danger is exciting Mr Pleasant, surely you know that." Regan's eyes held a knowing glint. "Living life to its fullest as you have."

Valkyrie watched as Skulduggery stiffened up suddenly alert and cautious. How much did this insane criminal know?

"And you Miss Cain know your fair share of danger too." Valkyrie shuddered slightly and Regan chuckled, his assumption confirmed.

Alicia Crows sensing that Reagan was somehow using blackmail to an advantage stepped forwards.

"Dad, seriously what do you hope to achieve by this?" Regan's gaze flickered over to his daughter his grip on Valkyries neck loosened slightly.

"Everyone should be able to have access to magic. Who cares if they have no idea how to control it, but so long as they have it, it means we don't have to live in secrecy, and then we can rise to the top and claim leadership and power over the now amateur sorcerer ex mortals.

"But it's dangerous; you didn't see what happened to mum after you left." Alicia said distracting Regan further so that the flam in his hand was extinguished.

"She turned into a wreck, was placed into a mental hospital because of all the "stories" she was telling, the "visions" she had, had. And then one day she just went missing."

Regan cleared his throat. "Yes but your mother was weak!" He said back snarling.

"That can't be true!" Darien's voice cried. "You did the same to mum!" you just up and left and she fell apart. The magic ate her from the inside. She practically turned into a zombie, only ever eating and sleeping. She didn't talk, didn't do anything."

Regan felt everything shifting, suddenly everyone was ganging up on him, he was suddenly realising that he was being named the "bad guy."

By this time his grip on Valkyries neck had totally diminished and she had slunk away slowly and quietly to stand next to fletcher who had wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Vanity and Vintage and linked hands and were staring intently at the man who was coming to sudden realisation that his plan was collapsing around him.

Darien stared at the man he had once called dad lovingly. He was disgusted. This man who had left his mother to decay, Darien had no idea whether his mother was in fact still alive. All because of this one man standing before him.

Alicia felt disappointed, disappointed that this was her father, that someone so selfish and so backward could be her father. It was too insane to comprehend.

Regan could feel the negative Vibes emanating off of everyone that was surrounding him. In one last attempt at something drastic he lashed out throwing flame in the direction of the tree line. First one tree caught a light and then another and another, like dominos they each lit up one after the other. Everyone broke there concentration on the man in front of them except for the twins. They continued to stare reign down chanting over and over in their heads as they slowly felt his power draining.

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**Yeah it kinda dragged on a bit at the end but ohhh well **

**so what did you think **

**also let me know if you guys want an epilog or something.. and what you would like it to include.. and i suggest not to do marriges between the OC characters and stuff cause they are only like meant to be 16 and stuff.. so yeah. :D REVIEW! 3 PLEASE **

***~V.S~***


	35. Welcome to Hell

**short one i know.. but hey it's over, yep guys thats right... the last chapter is below.. after two and a bit years.. the end is here..D **

**enjoy and tell me what you think... **

***~V.S~***

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Regan could feel the power draining out of him, almost like there was a massive straw injected into him and some being was sucking out the magical blood from him. He'd heard people talk about this feeling before, it was death. He was dying.

Small sparks began to fly off him, blue at first then red, his vision was slowly fading. He could see everyone around him rushing about attempting to extinguish the fire he had created.

The Skeleton detective Skulduggery had conjured balls of water and was hurtling them towards the tree line, he saw his own daughter and son do the same.

The Cain girl was also sending out waves of water. He knew that power. It was the ability to harness the moisture in the air, harness it and use it to one's advantage. He'd down that, he'd controlled fire, he'd been the ultimate controller of fire, and fire was his- for lack of a better term friend- but then again all friends at one point become enemies. He'd seen that, the China woman was proof. So where his wives and children.

Not all plans can succeed. He was ready though, ready to welcome death. Ready to let go, god was he ready he'd seen enough of this planet to last him a life time. He'd lived it for the last three hundred or so years.

His vision was decreasing further, though it seemed his hearing was improving rapidly. He could hear voices, calling him. At least that's what it sounded like. The voices were calling, some male, some female, small children, elderly people, calling. His vision went white, and then shady figures began to appear. Arms out stretched, the people. The one's head tried to convert but had failed miserably with.

They were the ones calling him now, reaching out and welcoming him to hell.

Regan's body collapsed, as the life left it. The twins stopped there chanting and looked towards the lake.

There their mother's sister still was, hovering just above the water's surface.

"You said you needed a sacrifice" Vanity called. Upon hearing this Caelan immediately stiffened and stepped to grip her arm.

"Don't worry, I'm not going." She whispered into his ear.

"You can take him as the sacrifice." She gestured to Regan's lifeless body.

Sabrina cocked her head to the left as though weighing up the value of this sacrifice. Seeming satisfied she nodded.

She lifted her hand and a stream of water rose and started making its way towards the bank. It wrapped it's self around the prone body before dragging it back to the water's edge and deep down below its shimmering surface.

"Thank you dear." She said to vanity and vintage. "Do the two of you need any other assistance?" she asked politely.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, it'd be much appreciated if you could put out the fire." Vintage said stepping forwards slightly.

"Why but of course, it's the least I could do." Sabrina then lifted both of her hands to the air and the water rose up around her. "You may want to tell everyone to get out of the way."

Vanity nodded. "Mr Pleasant, Valkyrie!" she shouted. The both of them turned to face her fire blazing behind them. "Move to the left." She yelled gesturing with her arms.

The two of them nodded and instructed everyone to move to the side.

Once the area was clear Sabrina brought her arms forwards, the water rushed after them, forming a wave which came crashing down onto of the lit trees, dousing the flames and then receding.

"Thank you" the twins said, smiling at their aunt. She smiled back and waved before sinking back down below the water.

"Well, that was easy." Skulduggery said. "We can all go home now." The twins nodded.

"Thank you for your services Detective Pleasant. We are forever indebted to you; we won't take up anymore of your time so we shall be going now."

Skulduggery nodded. Valkyrie stepped forwards to hug each one of them individually and so did Fletcher. The twins then turned towards Caelan and Darien. Each held out a hand for the boys to take.

"Come on, let's finally go home." Vintage said sighing and resting her head on Darien's shoulder. He nodded as the four of them walked off towards the road.

Skulduggery turned to say to Alicia crows, but as mysteriously as she had appeared she was gone already.

"Ahh well that leaves just the three of us now. I suggest we head home as well." He stated. Valkyrie murmured in agreement.

"Fletch, take us to the Bentley." She said grabbing Skulduggery's sleeve and Fletcher's hand, and with a pop they were gone.

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**ahhhhh... the blessed feeling of have accomplishished at least one thing! :D **

**and this is where i sign off for Vampire Kiss**

**bye bye my lovely readers hope you had fun along the way **

**might have a new SP story up some day :D **

***~V.S~***


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